The Israeli military has announced its intention to evacuate the northern city of Kiryat Shmona on Friday. This decision comes after a series of clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the border with Lebanon.
Cross-border exchanges of fire have been ongoing between Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, allied Palestinian factions, and Israel for several days. These incidents were triggered by a previous attack by Hamas gunmen on communities in southern Israel on October 7.
Israeli officials report that militants have taken the lives of over 1,400 individuals in Israel, with the majority of the victims being civilians.
According to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 4,130 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, have lost their lives in Israeli retaliatory bombardments across the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, Israeli authorities have been carrying out the evacuation of communities near the Gaza border and along the northern frontier of the country.
On Friday, the military informed the mayor of Kiryat Shmona that the city is under heightened alert or emergency status.
“The plan will be managed by the local authority, the ministry of tourism, and the Ministry of defence,” an army statement said.
The military stated that it was persisting in targeting Hezbollah positions located immediately across the border in Lebanon.
“Twenty launches were identified from Lebanon toward Israeli territory” on Friday, the military said.
The military stated that it was persisting in targeting Hezbollah positions located immediately across the border in Lebanon.