Israel army issues new evacuation call for Lebanon's Baalbek region

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Sunday called for the evacuation of the Baalbek area in eastern Lebanon, warning that it was ready to strike Hizbollah targets there and in nearby Douris.

The latest evacuation call came as the military's Home Front Command activated sirens at regular intervals along the border as dozens of projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory since Sunday morning.

The Israeli air force intercepted several projectiles that were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, while some fell in open areas, the military said in a statement.

On Thursday, rocket fire from Lebanon killed seven people in the town of Metula in northern Israel, including four Thai farmers.

Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hizbollah have been locked in a deadly war since September 23 that has killed more than 1,900 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.

Israel's military says 38 soldiers have been killed in the Lebanon campaign since it began ground operations on September 30.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Hizbollah militants first erupted on October 8 last year when the Lebanese group began firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas, a day after the Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza.