ISTANBUL

The Israeli army on Saturday called on residents of the Masnaa border crossing, between Lebanon and Syria, to evacuate immediately ahead of planned strikes.

In a statement, army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the warning applies to travelers on the M30 highway in Lebanon, which connects Beirut to the Syrian border of Masnaa.

He added that the army intends to target the area, claiming that Hezbollah is using it for "military purposes and smuggling weapons."

Lebanese authorities said the broader Israeli campaign since March 2 has killed 1,422 people and wounded 4,294, with over one million displaced.

Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel since early March, saying the attacks are in response to continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon, as well as the killing of Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.