Jerusalem: Israeli aircraft are preparing to attack Hezbollah strategic weapons stashed in houses in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the Israeli military spokesperson said on Monday, calling on civilians to evacuate immediately.
"The sights now from south Lebanon are of secondary explosions of Hezbollah weapons, which are exploding inside houses. In every house we are attacking there are weapons. Rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles that were meant for and aimed at killing Israeli civilians," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon have already killed a 100 people, as per an AFP report. The death toll also includes children, as per the Lebanese health ministry.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Israeli military had said that it bombed Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley overnight, its latest strike on arms depots in a major stronghold of the powerful Iranian-backed militia.
The air attack came hours after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that "attacking munitions warehouses in Lebanon is preparation for anything that might happen".
Hezbollah said it had retaliated for the strike on the Bekaa region by firing Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military logistics site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been locked in hostilities for the last 10 months in parallel with the Gaza war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has spread to several other fronts and prompted fears of an all-out Middle East conflict.
While most of the exchanges of fire have played out along Lebanon's volatile southern border with Israel, some Israeli strikes have occurred deeper into Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley, which borders Syria.