Israel has ordered the evacuation of residents from Kiryat Shmona, a northern town near the border with Lebanon, where the situation has been tense since a Hamas attack on October 7, the Israeli military said today.

The Israeli authorities “announced the implementation of a plan to remove the residents” of that city and transfer them “to state-funded reception homes”, the army said.

Kiryat Shmona has about 25,000 inhabitants and is located about 2 kilometers from the border fence with Lebanon.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Israeli military announced that a rocket launcher attack was launched from Lebanese territory, to which it responded by hitting “Hezbollah infrastructure”. The Israeli army also carried out airstrikes against the area from which the attack took place.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border have killed around 20 people on the Lebanese side, mostly fighters, but also a Reuters journalist and two civilians. On the Israeli side, at least three people have lost their lives.

The international community is worried about the possibility of the conflict spreading, with the involvement in that of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.

“We are on high alert and vigilance in the north. If Hezbollah makes a serious mistake, we will respond with particular force,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari warned on Tuesday.