Israel calls on Lebanese to evacuate homes as it launches new strikes

Israeli security and rescue forces work at the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel. Pics/AFP

The Israeli military has requested immediate evacuation of people living in Lebanon from homes and other buildings where the Hezbollah militant group stores weapons, AP reported.

According to AP, the warning came as Israel launched another wave of strikes in the southern part of Lebanon on Monday.

Hezbollah fired more than 100 rockets into a deeper and wider region of northern Israel on Sunday, marking the largest exchange of heavy fire between the two sides in months of low-level conflict, a cited by AP.

West Asia Conflict: Israel declares "new phase" of the war

Last week, Yoav Gallant Israel's defense minister had declared the start of a "new phase" of the war as it turned its focus against Hezbollah militants in the northern front of Lebanon.

"We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Wednesday.

The statement comes after Israel striked Hezbollah in two waves, first by targeting pagers used by Hezbollah which killed at least 12 with 3,000 nearly wounded on Tuesday.

Second by exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics on Wednesday across Lebanon killing at least 20 people and injuring 450 others.

Despite its track record of executing intricate operations from a distance, Israel refrained from taking credit for the attack. These include cyberattacks, drone strikes, and targeted executions of extremist leaders around the Middle East. Over the years, Israel has been linked to multiple killings, including those of Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, as well as Iranian nuclear expert Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the AP report further stated

According to the AP report, the attack comes as tensions continue to grow between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with both sides exchanging fire since the Gaza war in October of last year.

West Asia Conflict: Hezbollah replies to Israeli attack

Hezbollah attacked the northern part of Israel with 140 rockets on Friday, the incident came after Hassan Nasrallah, the militant group's leader vowed to retaliate against Israel for their mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said to AP.

According to Israel's military, the missiles struck in three waves along the severely damaged border with Lebanon on Friday afternoon, AP reported.

Hezbollah claimed to have used Katyusha rockets to attack a number of locations along the border, it attacked various air defense bases and also the Israeli armored brigade's headquarters, which they claimed to have hit for the first time.