Israel to evacuate 14 more communities on Lebanon border amid Hezbollah attacks

The Israel Defense Forces and Defense Ministry announced Sunday that they were planning to evacuate another 14 communities close to the Lebanese border, amid repeated rocket and missile attacks by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions in the last two weeks, Report informs via the Times of Israel.

The ministry’s National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) said the residents would be taken to state-funded guesthouses.

Last week, NEMA began to evacuate 28 communities that are within two kilometers of the border, as well as the city of Kiryat Shmona.

According to the IDF and Defense Ministry, the 14 communities being added to the list are: Snir, Dan, Beit Hillel, She’ar Yashuv, Hagoshrim, Liman, Matzuva, Eylon, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, Even Menachem, Sasa, Tziv’on and Ramot Naftali.

Many residents in northern border towns have already evacuated southward amid the escalating attacks from Lebanon.

A spokesman for the IDF said Sunday that the escalating attacks by Hezbollah risk “dragging Lebanon into a war.”

“Hezbollah… is dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot,” warned Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Conricus. “They’re escalating the situation.”

“Hezbollah is playing a very, very dangerous game. They’re escalating the situation. We see more and more attacks every day,” he said.

“Is the Lebanese state really willing to jeopardize what is left of Lebanese prosperity and Lebanese sovereignty for the sake of terrorists in Gaza?” he asked. “That’s a question that the Lebanese authorities need to ask themselves and answer.”

The past two weeks have seen repeated clashes between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions in southern Lebanon, amid fears a new front could be opened as Israel continues its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.