Israel’s military warned residents of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon to evacuate on Wednesday, as it appeared to deepen its campaign against Hezbollah strongholds beyond the country’s south.

Baalbek, which had a population of roughly 80,000 people before Israel stepped up its attacks on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this month, is an important urban centre in the Bekaa Valley and is famed for its towering Roman ruins. It is also well known as a city where Hezbollah holds sway.

But unlike other places where the group enjoys support, the city of Baalbek has largely been spared Israeli bombardment. In a signal that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah may be widening, Baalbek was one of two urban areas to be targeted by Israel in recent days after largely escaping the brunt of the war.

The warnings came amid renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a truce, according to three officials briefed on the negotiations.

No agreement has been reached, but Israel is pushing for an arrangement in which Hezbollah would be given several weeks to withdraw its forces from the Israel-Lebanon border, allowing Lebanon’s official army — which had been sidelined by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the past two decades — to fill the void, according to two of the officials.

Israel also wants to be guaranteed the right to invade Lebanon if Hezbollah does not withdraw fast enough, the two officials said.

In a statement posted online on Wednesday, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, posted a map showing Baalbek and two neighbouring towns, Ain Bourday and Douris, as part of a danger zone marked in red, with three evacuation routes authorized by the Israeli military.

“The IDF will act forcefully against Hezbollah interests within your city and villages and does not intend to harm you,” Adraee said. “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move outside the city and villages.”

The evacuation warning comes two days after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 60 people in the Bekaa district, which includes the city and its rural hinterland, Lebanese officials said. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 58 others were injured in the attacks.

New York Times News Service