IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee on Wednesday published a notice warning residents of the city of Baalbek, Lebanon, to evacuate their homes.
Baalbek is located in the Beqaa area of Lebanon, significantly northeast of Beirut, near the Lebanon-Syria border.
Addressing the city's 100,000 residents, he wrote: "The IDF will act powerfully against Hezbollah interests which are in your city and in nearby villages. We have no intention of harming you. For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately."
The notice was also addressed to residents of Duris and Ain Bordai. Sky News Arabic reported evacuations from the area following the IDF's announcement.
The governor of the Baalbek-Hermel region said, "We are doing everything necessary in order to evacuate the areas under threat."
Lebanese reports said that the head of the Baalbek region civilian defense center, Bilad Raad, received a phone call from the IDF, requesting that he evacuate the areas mentioned in the notice.
Baalbek serves as a center of government and economy in the northern Beqaa area, a Hezbollah stronghold, and as a center for growing and marketing hash.