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Israel army issues evacuation warning for Lebanon village ahead of strikes Jerusalem, Jan 11 (AFP) Jan 11, 2026 The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning on Sunday for the village of Kafr Hatta in southern Lebanon ahead of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in the area. "The IDF (army) will soon, and once again, strike terrorist Hezbollah military infrastructure in the village, in order to address the prohibited attempts it is making to rebuild its activities there," Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote on X, posting a map of the expected target. "We urge residents of the area... you are located near a compound used by Hezbollah. For your safety, you must evacuate it immediately and move at least 300 metres (980 feet) away. Remaining in the marked area puts your lives at risk," the warning said. The Lebanese army said Thursday that it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani river, the first phase of a nationwide plan. Kafr Hatta is located north of the river. Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army announced in a statement that it had carried out strikes against what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure in other areas of south Lebanon "in response to Hezbollah's continuous violations of the ceasefire understandings." Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "a series of violent Israeli strikes" on Jezzine, Mahmudiyeh and Al-Dimasqiyeh, as well as "more than 10 strikes" on Al-Bureij, all in southern Lebanon. Most of the targeted areas are located north of the Litani river. No casualties were reported in the strikes. Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed militant group, which was badly weakened after more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire with Israel. Lebanon's army said Thursday it had "achieved the objectives of the first phase" of its plan, covering the area south of the Litani River -- around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border -- with the intention to extend it to the rest of the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in response that the ceasefire "states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed". "Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese armed forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support," it added. Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic. It has also said it has struck Hamas targets in Lebanon on various occasions. |
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