Saadnayel municipality asks residents to evacuate immediately following threatening calls

BEIRUT — The head of the municipality of Saadnayel, Hussein Shoubassi, asked people living near the municipality to evacuate their homes immediately "without taking anything with them" after residents received calls urging them to evacuate.

Since the beginning of last week, Israel has been asking some residents to evacuate their homes before carrying out airstrikes. However, some fake calls, not stemming from a real threat, have also been reported.

In a video published on Facebook, he said that one of those who received a call is an official in General Security.

Shoubassi said that he does not have a choice but to warn the residents. "I want to protect my village," he said.

The legitimacy of the call has not yet been confirmed.

The Israeli army has been carrying out intensive airstrikes across Lebanon since last Monday, killing almost a thousand people.