Heavy airstrikes on the historic Baalbek city of Lebanon, home to some of the best-preserved Roman temples and a Unesco World Heritage Site, have been launched by Israel.

In addition to the city of Baalbek, Israel is targeting of the surrounding villages in the eastern Bekaa region of Lebanon, security sources told Reuters and a French News Agency correspondent.

Earlier, the Israeli military called on residents of Baalbek and several neighboring communities in eastern Lebanon to leave their homes, saying it wants to carry out military operations against facilities of the pro-Iranian Islamist group Hezbollah in the region.

The city’s mayor, Mustafa al-Chal, confirmed that the bombing was hitting the city and surrounding areas, without giving further details.

There are no reports of casualties so far.

Thousands of people have begun to flee the city since the evacuation order was issued, some four hours before the bombing began.