Israel urges civilians in Beirut suburb to evacuate as ground offensive looms

JERUSALEM, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — Israel’s military on Monday night called on residents of three areas in Beirut’s southern suburb to evacuate “immediately” ahead of planned bombings, as Israeli forces began a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
“For your safety and your family’s safety, you must evacuate the buildings immediately to a distance of at least 500 meters,” Avichai Adraee, an Israeli army spokesperson, said on social media platform X.
He released a map of buildings in three areas of the Dahieh suburb, warning that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “will act against them forcefully” because they are located near Hezbollah facilities.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief spokesman, urged the public not to spread unconfirmed reports about the army.
“In recent hours, there have been many reports and rumors about IDF activity on the Lebanese border. We ask that unverified information about the forces’ activities not be shared, for the security of our troops,” he said.
Earlier in the day, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Israel had informed the United States that it launched “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.” ■