JERUSALEM, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday issued an evacuation warning for residents of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, urging them to leave "immediately" ahead of planned strikes, as fears of further escalation grew.

Around noon on Tuesday, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on the social media platform X that all residents of Nabatieh must move north of the Zahrani River.

"Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means endangers their lives," Adraee wrote.

The move came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would step up attacks against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said it had carried out more than 100 strikes overnight in the Beqaa Valley and across southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, command centers, observation posts, and other infrastructure sites.

According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, Israeli attacks had already intensified overnight, killing at least 12 people in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and wounding others.