Israeli military officials have warned residents in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut to evacuate villages and neighbourhoods, sparking worries of a bombing campaign exploding into a full-blown war — and that Israel had hacked into its northern neighbour’s telecommunications networks.The bombing began within hours of Monday’s warnings, and more than 180 people have been killed in attacks across Lebanon’s south. But Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari also announced plans to launch a “large-scale” aerial operation in eastern Lebanon.
And the warnings to residents of Beirut suggest Israel might be planning to expand its bombing campaign to the capital.
As fears of a war escalate, the warnings, experts say, are in themselves also a reminder of Israel’s technological superiority over Lebanon. They also repeat a playbook that Israel has used in Gaza.
Here’s what’s happened, why the warnings are significant and how Israel might have gained access to the private communication details of people across Lebanon.
What’s happened?
Residents of villages in southern Lebanon and in some Beirut neighbourhoods received messages and phone calls from a Lebanese number early on Monday ordering them to move away from Hezbollah strongholds.
Some people received recorded phone calls to their mobiles or their landlines while some received text messages, Al Jazeera’s Mazen Ibrahim reported from Beirut. The messages wer …
