IDF seizes truce-violating weapons, including rocket launchers, in south Lebanon
Foreign Minister Sa’ar tells UN envoy to Lebanon no compromise on security; strategic affairs minister said to discuss with US security chief extending ceasefire grace period

Israel Defense Forces troops operating on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov in recent days captured numerous weapons, the military said Wednesday, as it swept the area for Hezbollah caches, ahead of a planned withdrawal under the terms of a November ceasefire that ended a war with the Iran-backed terror group.
Members of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade located and seized anti-tank missiles and launchers, rocket launchers, machine guns, and other weapons, it said.
The IDF is still deployed to some areas of southern Lebanon, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire hundreds of times with terror operatives moving ammunition, attempting to attack Israeli soldiers, and preparing to launch rockets toward northern Israel among other things.
As part of the truce agreement signed by Israel and the terror group on November 27, the IDF is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army within 60 days. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.
With the exit deadline approaching next week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the visiting UN envoy to Lebanon that Israel is committed to upholding the agreement as long as its security is maintained.
“I emphasized that Israel is committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement, but will not compromise on its security,” Sa’ar said of his meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis. “There is an opportunity for Lebanon to break free from the Iranian occupation and build a better future!”

By January 26, Israeli troops are scheduled to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon to complete the ceasefire deal reached in November, with the Lebanese Army deploying in the area alongside international peacekeepers. Israel has warned that any violations of the deal by Hezbollah be answered in kind.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is entitled to act against immediate threats posed by Hezbollah, but must forward complaints about longer-term threats to an oversight committee comprised of representatives from the US, France, Lebanon, and the international peacekeeping force UNIFIL.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer spoke on Tuesday with US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, the Kan public broadcaster reported. A source familiar with the call said the two officials discussed lengthening the ceasefire grace period, an idea that has previously been floated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold a meeting with senior security officials about the withdrawal date on Thursday, Kan said.
According to the network, IDF officials have repeatedly warned about Hezbollah violations including three weeks ago when IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at a special session held in the north that Hezbollah has broken the terms of the ceasefire hundreds of times.

Gordin told the forum members that the Lebanese army, which is supposed to be enforcing the ceasefire by preventing Hezbollah’s presence along the border, is in some places instead helping the terror group. He reportedly said that is happening in areas where the Lebanese army commanders on the ground and their units are Shia Muslims, in line with the ideology of Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran.
According to the report, army representatives gave a similar update during a closed-door meeting of the committee that was held this week at the Knesset. Among the examples cited were that Hezbollah is manufacturing and storing weapons, as well as deploying forces in areas prohibited under the truce. Some of the violations are not being dealt with, even by Israel, the representatives said according to the report.
The army told MKS that, given the situation, it cannot withdraw from south Lebanon next week on the 60th day of the ceasefire as was agreed in the deal.
The IDF did not respond to the report, Kan said.
Speaking to The Times of Israel last month, a military source confirmed that the IDF was gearing up for the possibility that troops would stay beyond the 60-day period as the Lebanese army is currently deploying too slowly to the southern Lebanon area, allowing Hezbollah time to regroup.
In addition to slow deployment rates, the Lebanese army is failing to attack Hezbollah targets when the opportunity arises. Nevertheless, the source said that while extending the length of the IDF’s deployment would test the ceasefire agreement, it would not necessarily collapse.

Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement and last month submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council alleging that Israel launched some 816 “ground and air attacks” between the start of the ceasefire and December 22, 2024.
The complaint said that the attacks have hindered the Lebanese army’s efforts to deploy in the south and uphold its end of the agreement, a claim that Israel disputes.
Israel has also complained to the UN Security Council about Lebanese violations.
The war in Lebanon was sparked when Hezbollah, unprovoked, began firing at Israel on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023, a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, starting the war in Gaza.
Israel escalated the campaign against the terror group in September 2024, decimating its leadership, in a bid to end the persistent rocket fire that had displaced some 60,000 northerners.
Fighting came to a halt with the start of the ceasefire agreement on November 27, despite both parties frequently accusing the other of violating its terms.