Israel to launch operation on Lebanon’s southern coast

The Israeli military said it will begin an operation along Lebanon’s southern coast, warning residents to stay off beaches and fishermen to remain out of the sea.

The Israeli military’s Arab-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said the beach and sea stretch from the Awali River, located north of Sidon, towards the south, should be avoided. He added the Israeli Navy will “soon” begin the operation in the area, although did not specify a date.

The announcement comes as Israeli bombardment intensifies and a ground operation in the south carries on.

On Monday, Israel conducted air strikes on 120 targets in southern Lebanon within the space of an hour carried out, including against Radwan special forces units, Hezbollah's missile force and its intelligence directorate.

Lebanon's health ministry reported dozens of deaths, including 10 firefighters killed in an airstrike on a municipal building in the border area.

On the same day, Hezbollah launched around 190 projectiles into Israel.

Israeli soldiers have been moving into southern Lebanon. Israel says their aim is to clear border areas where Hezbollah fighters have been embedded, with “no plans to go deep into Lebanon.” 

At least 11 Israeli ground forces were killed in the ground incursion, as of Monday.

The Israeli military has killed scores of Hezbollah members over the last two weeks. The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27.

Nasrallah suspected successor, Hashem Saffieddine, has been out of communication since October 3, after an Israeli airstrike targeted his suspected location in southern Beirut.

More than 1,400 Lebanese people have been killed, including hundreds of women and children, while more than 1.5 million others have been displaced in the last two weeks.