Lebanese fishermen stay ashore after Israeli warning

Fishermen in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon stayed ashore on Tuesday, an AFP journalist reported, after the Israeli military warned of strikes against militants along the coast.

Sidon's typically lively fish market was unusually quiet following the warning issued the previous night.

"The Lebanese army told us we weren't allowed to go out, and we are respecting that," said Mohammed Bidawi, a member of the fisherman's syndicate.

"If it continues like this, the market will close too."

The Israeli army warned late Monday that it would expand its operations against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to Lebanon's coast.

It warned people to stay away from the shore in the area south of the Al-Awali river, which flows into the sea to the north of Sidon.

Issam Haboush, another fisherman, said he was worried about his family.

"Fishing was the way we supported our children. If we don't go out to sea, we won't be able to feed ourselves," he said.

Bidawi said the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah had plunged around 5,000 to 6,000 people into financial difficulty.

"The fishermen and traders at the fish market are going to need help," he said.

After nearly a year of cross-border clashes, Israel intensified its bombing campaign on September 23, killing more than 1,100 people and displacing over a million people since, according to official figures.