Israel drops flyers warning Lebanese against helping Hezbollah

Destroyed house following Israeli bombardment during the past week, on the southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in Gaza. (Photo by AFP)

• Israeli army has stepped up bombardment of frontier villages in recent days
• More than 64,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon

BEIRUT: The Israeli army dropped leaflets on parts of south Lebanon on Friday for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began, warning residents not to help Hezbollah, inhabitants said.
Since October 8, the day after the Israel-Hamas war started, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen deadly exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which says it is acting in support of Hamas.
“Early Friday morning, a drone dropped leaflets over the village that landed between the houses,” said a resident of Kfarshuba near the border, requesting anonymity due to security concerns.
Another resident said leaflets were dropped twice after the wind blew many from the initial batch away.
“To the residents of south Lebanon, we inform you that the terrorist Hezbollah is infiltrating into your homes and your lands,” read a copy of a leaflet seen by AFP.
“You must stop this terrorism for your own security,” the text added, warning the population that assisting Hezbollah would expose them “to danger.”
Residents along the Lebanese border have said the Israeli army has stepped up its bombardment of frontier villages in recent days.
Israel also dropped leaflets over parts of south Lebanon during a 2006 war with Hezbollah.
Since the cross-border exchanges of fire began in October, more than 120 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the frontier, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including a Lebanese soldier and 17 civilians, three of them journalists, according to an AFP tally.
More than 64,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon, mostly in the south, figures from the International Organization for Migration show.
On the Israeli side, at least six soldiers and four civilians have been killed, authorities there have said.
The Israel-Hamas war began after the Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive that the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says has killed more than 18,700 people, mostly women and children.