IDF has killed 500 terrorists in Lebanon since beginning of war, says senior officer
Figure given by Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin higher than ToI tally; military says Hezbollah hiding true number of fatalities among its ranks
The Israel Defense Forces have killed more than 500 terror operatives in Lebanon in the past nine months of skirmishes, the chief of the military’s Northern Command said Friday.
“We have already eliminated more than 500 terrorists in Lebanon, most of them from Hezbollah, and we have destroyed thousands of infrastructures,” Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin told troops of the Golani Brigade in northern Israel.
Hezbollah has named 377 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 68 operatives from other terror groups in Lebanon have also been killed, bringing the tally tracked by The Times of Israel to 445, a lower figure than the one given by Gordin.
Israeli defense officials estimate that this figure is in fact higher, and Hezbollah is covering up the true number of fatalities among its ranks.
One Lebanese soldier and dozens of Lebanese civilians have also been killed during the hostilities that began on October 8.
“Our backs are the residents, our backs are the citizens, and our faces and our barrels are aimed at the enemy. When the moment comes and we launch an attack, it will be a decisive attack,” Gordin said.
Gordin’s remarks followed comments made by an Israeli official briefing reporters in Washington earlier Friday who said Israel will not wait for the US to green-light any military activity it chooses to take to push Hezbollah away from the Israel-Lebanon border.
The official said that the US knows Israel will not allow the situation on the northern border — where Hezbollah forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts on a near daily basis — to remain as it is.
Hezbollah says it is attacking Israel to support Gaza amid the war against Hamas there. So far, their attacks have resulted in the deaths of 12 civilians in Israel, as well as the deaths of 18 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Israel is hoping that a solution can be reached through diplomatic measures, the official stressed, but will not hesitate to take military action if this proves to be impossible, the official added.
They also said Israel is not prepared to give up territory to restore calm in the north.
Only once it is deemed safe for the tens of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes in northern Israel will the threat posed by Hezbollah be considered resolved, the official said.
Hezbollah cell struck
A cell of Hezbollah operatives was struck on Friday in southern Lebanon’s Markaba, the IDF said. Hezbollah named two members killed in the strike.
במהלך היום כוח מיחידה 869 זיהה מספר מחבלים נכנסים למבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב מרכבא, זמן קצר לאחר הזיהוי מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו את המבנה ובו המחבלים.
כמו כן, במהלך הלילה הותקף מבנה צבאי נוסף של הארגון, במרחב עייתא א-שעב>> pic.twitter.com/wT6ShbqFZk
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 26, 2024
The military said the operatives were spotted by troops of the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit entering a building used by the terror group, and a short while later, a fighter jet carried out an airstrike.
Separately, overnight, the IDF said it struck another building used by Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab.
Meanwhile, one rocket launched from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee was intercepted by air defenses, the IDF added.
However an anti-tank guided missile struck a factory in the border community of Avivim, local authorities said.
The Merom Hagalil Regional Council said damage was caused to the factory in the attack. Hezbollah took responsibility for the missile fire, saying it struck a building where IDF troops were gathered.
