January 15, 2026 l By Stephen — Dalena Reporters
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT — The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents of Sohmor, a village in southern Lebanon, ahead of planned military strikes targeting what Israel described as the military infrastructure of Hezbollah, heightening tensions along the volatile Israel–Lebanon border.
In a message posted on the social media platform X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, cautioned civilians in specific buildings within the village to evacuate “in the near future” as the army prepares operations against sites it says are linked to Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild and expand its operational capabilities in the area.
The move comes amid continuing friction between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organisation backed by Iran, which has engaged in periodic exchanges of fire and cross-border hostilities since the 2006 war. Israeli authorities argue that Hezbollah continues to maintain and develop military positions in populated areas of southern Lebanon — a claim frequently denied or downplayed by Hezbollah officials.
Israeli warnings to civilians signify an effort to reduce non-combatant harm ahead of targeted strikes, a tactic previously employed in northern border operations. The precautionary notices reflect both operational intent and the acknowledgment of civilian risk in densely settled areas — a frequent challenge in Lebanon’s rural and semi-urban borderlands.
Lebanese residents, accustomed to repeated alerts and flare-ups, responded with concern and urgency. Sohmor, like many villages in the Beqaa Valley and southern regions near the Blue Line demarcation, has long been sensitive to military escalations due to its proximity to Israeli positions and historical involvement in past conflicts.
Hezbollah did not immediately issue a response to the Israeli warning, but in past confrontations the group has asserted its readiness to defend Lebanese territory and has mobilised forces along the southern front when hostilities intensify. Analysts say the lack of an immediate rebuttal may reflect internal calculations on the group’s broader strategic posture amid evolving regional dynamics.
The latest Israeli warning follows weeks of heightened alert across the northern theatre, where both sides have remained on edge amid broader regional instability stemming from the ongoing conflict in Gaza, political crises in neighbouring states, and shifting alliances that continue to influence security calculations from Beirut to Jerusalem.
International actors, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), have repeatedly called for de-escalation along the border, emphasising the need to protect civilian lives and prevent a broader conflagration that could draw in multiple actors across the Middle East.