The IDF, around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, initiated a fifth round of massive air strikes on Hezbollah, especially in southern Lebanon, including further from the border than in some prior cases. Starting Monday morning, the IDF has attacked over 150 targets using dozens of fighter jets from all Air Force squadrons.
There were also significant attacks against Hezbollah deep into Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley.
IDF Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari, for the first time, issued a broad warning to the general public in southern Lebanon that if they have not already moved away from houses and other civilian buildings where they live and reside - but where Hezbollah has stored rockets or undertaken other actions - now they must leave those areas.
Hagari's warning was unusual and different from mass evacuation warnings issued to date in Gaza.
The warning was the first sort of mass evacuation warning to southern Lebanese regarding areas where Hezbollah is operating.
Continuing in that vein, hundreds of thousands of southern Lebanese civilians have evacuated areas that the IDF has been attacking already for several months.
So, a warning was issued to those who have not yet evacuated.
Not a complete evacuation
However, the IDF did not tell the southern Lebanese civilians that they must completely leave the area to move to some other further away specified area.
It was not clear where the IDF would suggest these evacuating civilians should go permanently if, in fact, their homes were to get bombed due to holding terror assets.
Also, it was not like a Gaza evacuation, as Hagari did not yet suggest that the IDF would be invading with ground troops, but more that it would be striking with additional intensity from the air, including at civilian locations where terror assets have been located.
To illustrate his point, Hagari displayed an example of a southern Lebanese civilian location where the IDF, a few weeks ago, watched Hezbollah knock down some of the walls in order to set up a camouflaged civilian location for the firing of a Russian-made DR-4 cruise missile, with hundreds of kilos of explosives.
"We are exposing Hezbollah’s tactic of hiding a cruise missile inside a residential home. The terrorists created a designated opening to launch the missile," Hagari explained.
Hagari said that the cruise missile, a much larger danger than typical Hezbollah rockets because it flies lower and faster in a line-drive type fashion as opposed to rockets, which fly slower and in an arch trajectory, had been smuggled to Hezbollah via Syria.
Next, Hagari showed the IDF watching Hezbollah terrorists exiting the area.
Finally, he showed the IDF blowing up both the cruise missile and the civilian location where it was hidden, along with the Hezbollah terrorists.
"Here, you can see how we identified the terrorists as they made an opening in the building, revealing the missile. In a precise strike, the IDF neutralized both the terrorists and the missile launch infrastructure just moments before the planned launch," Hagari explained.
One of the purposes of Hagari's public statements, which have subtitles in Arabic, was to broaden the warning to southern Lebanese civilians to leave such areas, while another purpose was to preempt Western criticism for targeting civilian areas, to explain the IDF's justification.
Under international law, civilian areas can be targeted if warnings are provided and if those areas have been used for military purposes.
In addition, the IDF said that it had shot down attempted aerial attacks from Iraq around 4:00 a.m.
Hagari's warning
Hagari, warning the Lebanese civilians, emphasized, "Hezbollah is endangering you and your families. Hezbollah is planning to launch weapons against Israel, and you should distance yourselves immediately for your safety."
"We are exposing Hezbollah’s tactic of hiding a cruise missile inside a residential home. The terrorists created a designated opening to launch the missile," he added.
Furthermore, the IDF sent out text messages to the southern Lebanese citizens urging them to stay away from Hezbollah structures, Israeli media reported.
"If you are in a building containing Hezbollah weapons, move away immediately until further notice," the text message sent to the civilians reportedly read.
צה"ל שלח הודעות טקסט לתושבים בדרום לבנון להתרחק ממבני חיזבאללה: "אם אתה נמצא במבנה שיש בו אמצעי לחימה של חיזבאללה, התרחק ממנו עד להודעה חדשה"@ItayBlumental @kaisos1987 pic.twitter.com/hAg5wnXEjc
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 23, 2024
According to a Reuters reporter, shortly afterward, residents in southern Lebanon also received calls from a Lebanese number ordering them to immediately distance themselves 1,000 meters from any Hezbollah post.
Additionally, Haragi addressed the evacuated citizens of Israel's North, stating that he "will do whatever is necessary to restore citizens to their homes and ensure their safety."
"We will do whatever is necessary to restore northern citizens to their homes. We are operating on an undercover operation, and we continue to do so to protect the citizens of Israel," Haragi emphasized.
Hezbollah's human shields
According to Ynet, ten years ago, Hezbollah launched a secret initiative to offer financial incentives to Shia households in southern Lebanon if they allocated a room of their house to a long range missile launcher. The missile, with a heavy warhead, would be ready to launch from that room. The room would have a removable roof, allowing it to be fired quickly.
Ynet added that Hezbollah specifically chose poor Shia families who needed extra income. Reportedly, Hezbollah purchased plots of land and constructed residential homes on them, offering them at a reduced price of for free if the families were willing to store missiles.
Can neither confirm nor deny if Sinwar is alive
When Hagari was asked about the last time the IDF received a sign of life from Hamas Head Yahya Sinwar, Hagari responded that he could neither confirm nor deny if Sinwar was alive.
This question from the press toward Haragi came after circulating speculations and reports on Sunday that Sinwar had been killed.
"Regarding what has come up in the past days about Sinwar's situation, I can neither confirm nor deny it," Hagari stated.
"We have one mission—to reach Sinwar, and we will," he emphasized.