Israel army warns Lebanon's Sidon to evacuate

JERUSALEM, Aug 5 (Reuters) Israel's military today warned all residents in Sidon, south Lebanon's biggest city, to evacuate ahead of planned air strikes on Hizbollah rocket launching sites and offices, the army said.

Several Israeli army officials said leaflets dropped on the coastal city had warned all residents to leave. They gave no timeframe for the expected strikes.

''We dropped leaflets warning residents to leave because the army will attack Hizbollah rocket launching sites in Sidon,'' one spokesman said.

Another added: ''The army will be attacking Hizbollah rocket launching sites as well as offices and general Hizbollah infrastructure in Sidon.'' A local official in Sidon, who asked not to be named, said Hizbollah's Shi'ite guerrillas were not present in the mainly Sunni Muslim city.

The population of Sidon is normally around 100,000 people, but tens of thousands who have fled villages in southern Lebanon to escape Israeli air strikes have also taken refuge there.

REUTERS SY RK1901