Israel Evacuates City Near Lebanon Border as It Hits Scores of Targets in Gaza.
In preparation for a second war front, Israel Evacuates City Near Lebanon Border
Israel ordered the evacuation of a city close to the Lebanese border, reflecting the Israeli military’s growing concern that a second front could open up to the north as it continues its bombing campaign in Gaza, including a strike on a church compound overnight.
“There will be three stages,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. “We are now in the first stage—a military campaign that currently includes strikes, and will later include maneuvering, with the objective of neutralizing terrorists and destroying Hamas infrastructure.”
The second stage would involve lower-intensity operations to root out Hamas operatives, with the third being an Israeli pullout “and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel,” Gallant said, without elaborating.
Meanwhile at the northern end of Israel, the country’s Defense Ministry said residents of Kiryat Shmona, a city of some 22,000 people, would be moved to guesthouses provided by the state. The decision, announced Friday, comes as the security situation along the Lebanese-Israeli border deteriorates.
The decision to evacuate Kiryat Shmona shows that Israel is taking seriously the possibility that clashes along the border with Lebanon could escalate into a full-blown conflict. In another indication that the situation at the Lebanese border could worsen, the State Department on Thursday asked all U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are still available.
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