On Monday, Israeli forces used phone calls to warn residents in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon to evacuate their locations, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). These calls reached both landlines and mobile phones.
Israeli Warnings to Lebanese Civilians
This occurred after the Israeli military urged civilians in villages near Hezbollah-operated buildings or areas storing weapons to leave immediately. They emphasized this was for the residents’ safety.
The NNA reported that many people in Beirut and other areas received evacuation messages via landlines. These messages, coming from Israeli sources, asked citizens to evacuate quickly. The agency described this as part of Israel’s ongoing psychological warfare tactics.
Lebanese Minister Confirms Evacuation Call
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary also received a similar call. In the recorded message, the caller asked him to evacuate his office to avoid being bombed. Makary’s office is located in the Ministry of Information building in the Hamra district of Beirut. He later commented that Israel often uses psychological tactics like this during times of conflict.
Israeli Communication Bypass Explained
Lebanese communication systems normally block Israeli calls, as the two countries are still officially at war. However, Imad Kreidieh, Director General of Ogero, Lebanon’s state-run telecom operator, explained how Israel bypassed this block. They used the country code of a friendly nation, allowing the calls to reach landlines in Lebanon.
Citizens Receive Text Messages
Many Lebanese citizens also reported receiving text messages from unidentified numbers. These messages urged them to evacuate. One Beirut resident, Khaled, said he got a message warning anyone in a building storing Hezbollah weapons to leave the area immediately.
Escalating Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon
Since early Monday, southern and eastern Lebanon have faced heavy Israeli airstrikes. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has grown more intense over the past week. Recent Israeli strikes targeted Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, following a series of bombings that affected communication devices used by the group.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging cross-border attacks since October. This escalation followed the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
