The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday evening that the Israeli Air Force had targeted 'command-and-control centers and terrorist infrastructure' in Baalbek, Lebanon. Baalbek is situated approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Beirut, deep inside Lebanon.
Prior to the strike, the IDF took measures to minimize civilian casualties by issuing an evacuation order. This marked the first instance of the IDF instructing residents to leave a city in the northern region of the country. The evacuation order included areas housing Roman ruins, as indicated on a map released by the IDF.
Reports of the strikes emerged shortly after the evacuation order was made public. Bachir Khodr, the governor of Baalbek-Hermel governorate, confirmed the airstrikes in a statement.
