In a stark warning to residents of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Israeli army Spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, urged civilians to evacuate homes where Hezbollah has allegedly been stockpiling weapons, as Israel prepares to escalate its military operations in the region.

“We are preparing to strike terror targets in the Bekaa Valley in the near future. Hezbollah stores strategic weapons there, in civilian buildings, and uses the population as a human shield, knowingly putting it in danger,” Hagari said in a news conference. 

He emphasized the importance of immediate evacuation for those living near Hezbollah’s weapons caches: “This is a specific warning to the residents of the Bekaa Valley. To Residents who are near buildings or inside homes where missiles and weapons are stored: distance yourselves from them immediately!”

Hagari also pointed out that the ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, which have targeted around 300 Hezbollah sites, should serve as a forewarning.

“The residents of the Bekaa Valley can see the action we are taking in southern Lebanon today. Hezbollah intends to launch these weapons toward Israeli territory, and we will not allow it,” he asserted.

“Every home hit by the Israeli Air Force today was used by Hezbollah to store weapons. The sights that are now seen in southern Lebanon are Hezbollah’s weapons exploding inside houses. Every home we struck contained rockets, drones, or missiles that were intended to kill Israeli civilians.”

In another message aimed directly at the residents of the Bekaa Valley, Col. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman, issued a chilling deadline, giving civilians just two hours to leave before the planned airstrikes start.