The warning on Thursday signals that the military may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of villages and towns in southern Lebanon that are north of a United Nations-declared buffer zone established after the 2006 war. The warning issued Thursday signaled a possible broadening of Israel's incursion into southern Lebanon,

Israel's military urged residents of over 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately on Thursday as it pressed on with an incursion after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Israel continued its intense airstrike campaign across Lebanon, which included several strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs and one in the center of the city.Israel's Lebanon operation continues as leaders consider their response to Iran's long-range attack on Tuesday,

Israeli airstrikes and artillery pounded villages where people were ordered to evacuate, and Hezbollah responded by firing a barrage of rockets into Israel.