Israeli military ‘to launch operations on Lebanon’s southern coast’

A crater caused by an Israeli airstrike that hit a seaside coffee shop in Ghaziyeh town, southern Lebanon, on Sunday (Mohammed Zaatari/AP)

The Israeli military says it will soon launch operations on Lebanon’s southern coast, telling residents to stay off the beaches and fishermen off the sea for a 60-kilometre (36 miles) stretch along the Mediterranean.

The military’s statement did not specify what operations would be carried out.

Israeli forces have been carrying out intensified airstrikes across southern Lebanon and limited ground incursions near the border in a campaign against Hezbollah.

The statement told residents south of Lebanon’s Awali River to stay off beaches and the sea for their safety.

The river empties into the Mediterranean about 60 kilometers north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.