Hezbollah evacuates positions in Lebanon ahead of expected Israel raids

Israel has vowed retaliation after rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 young people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights

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Smoke billows after an Israeli air strike in the southern Lebanese border village of Chihine on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:43am, 29 Jul 2024Updated: 8:25am, 29 Jul 2024

Hezbollah has evacuated positions in south and east Lebanon after Israeli threats of reprisals for a deadly strike on the annexed Golan Heights, a source close to the group said on Sunday.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to “hit the enemy hard” a day after rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 children and teenagers in Majdal Shams, again raising fears that the war in Gaza will spread.

Israel blamed Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement for firing a Falaq-1 Iranian rocket but the Iran-backed group – which has regularly targeted Israeli military positions – said it had “no connection” to the incident.

“Hezbollah has evacuated some positions in the south and in the Bekaa valley that it thinks could be a target for Israel,” the source close to the group told Agence France-Presse, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Residents rush to help injured children moments after Saturday’s rocket attack. Photo: AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a security cabinet meeting had concluded and its members had authorised the prime minister and defence minister to determine the “type” and “timing” of Israel’s response to the attack