The IDF ordered the evacuation of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after identifying Hezbollah operatives launching heavy rocket fire from within residential neighborhoods, the military’s Arabic spokesperson, Col. (res.) Avichay Adraee, stated on Wednesday.
Adraee, accusing the Iran-backed group of using civilians as human shields, said Hezbollah fired around 120 rockets from the outskirts of Tyre’s neighborhoods, “disregarding civilian safety and turning homes into launch sites.”
The spokesperson affirmed that its evacuation order, which preceded Israeli airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in the area, was issued in order to prioritize the safety of civilians.
“Hezbollah, which has dragged you into this war in service of Iran’s agenda, is deliberately operating within your neighborhoods, putting your safety at grave risk and bringing destruction to your homes and communities,” the Adraee wrote on X/Twitter, appealing to Lebanese civilians.
Adraee: Tyre is 'clear example of Hezbollah’s method of exploiting civilian environments'
Adraee continued, asserting that Tyre “stands as a clear example exposing Hezbollah’s method of exploiting civilian environments and sacrificing Lebanese lives and futures to serve the interests of the regime in Tehran.”
The announcement comes after the military issued evacuation orders in the city last week.
At the time, the IDF said it subsequently hit “operational outputs that had been deliberately embedded within the civilian population.”
A week before that, the Israeli military confirmed it had hit a Hezbollah command center in Tyre.
IDF strikes Hezbollah terrorists fleeing after firing rockets towards soldiers
Meanwhile, the IDF on Wednesday morning announced that it conducted overnight strikes on a cell of Hezbollah terrorists who fired rockets towards IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.
No soldiers were killed by the rocket fire, and the Israel Air Force killed the terrorists, the military confirmed.
The military also targeted terrorists who fired an anti-tank missile at soldiers overnight, conducting a retaliatory strike, killing the terrorists involved.
An IDF combat officer was lightly injured in the incident and was evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, the military noted.
IDF strikes Dahiyeh command center, gas stations funding Hezbollah
Overnight, the military also struck a series of Hezbollah terror targets and infrastructure across Lebanon, including a command center in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
Other targets included several gas stations belonging to the Hezbollah-controlled al-Amana company, which the military stated serves as a key part of the terror group's financial infrastructure.
Hezbollah chief rejects talks with Israel under fire, vows fighters will continue 'without limits'
Additionally, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Wednesday in a televised speech read on his behalf that negotiating with Israel under fire amounts to imposed surrender and called for unity against Israel.
The speech, aired on a Hezbollah-affiliated television station, said Hezbollah fighters were prepared to continue "without limits."
Reuters contributed to this report.