WATCH: IDF destroys Hezbollah cruise missile ready to launch from within building

Amid Israel Air Force attacks in Lebanon Monday morning, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned residents of southern Lebanon to avoid areas used by Hezbollah. He warned of a pre-emptive Israeli attack to remove the theat of cruise missiles set to attack Israeli civilians, some of which had already been thwarted.

"Here we are exposing Hezbollah’s method of hiding a cruise missile inside a home," he said. "The terrorists create a designated opening for the missile launch."

"Here you can see how we identified the terrorists making an opening in the building that exposed the missile," he continued. "In a precise strike, the IDF eliminated the terrorists and this missile launching infrastructure, shortly before the launch."

"Shortly, the IDF will engage in extensive, precise strikes, against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon," he warned.

"We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety."

The IDF identified the cruise missile as a Russian-made DR-3 missile, with a senior IDF official telling i24NEWS that it can reach a distance of 200 kilometers (124 miles). Such a missile can hit communities just north of Tel Aviv.

The official added that it likely arrived at Lebanon through Syria. "Hezbollah meant to launch more than 150 rockets, cruise missiles and drones" on Sunday, the official said, but Israeli strikes prevented the full scale of the attack.