Israeli strike kills Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon; jets target weapons depots
IDF fighter jets hit additional sites in country’s south and the eastern Beqaa Valley, also targeting rocket launchers belonging to terror group
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF killed a Hezbollah operative in a drone strike on southern Lebanon’s Rab Thalathin Thursday evening, as it targeted several sites where the terror group was said to be active.
Lebanese media identified the Hezbollah operative as Haider Muhammad Faqih.
Later that night, Israeli Air Force jets carried out a strike in the southern Lebanese village of Toul.
The IDF warned it would target a Hezbollah site in the village and issued an evacuation warning ahead of the strike.
Israeli fighter jets also bombed a Hezbollah weapons depot in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley. The site contained rocket launchers and other weapons, according to the military.
Hezbollah activity was identified at the facility, and therefore it was struck, the IDF said, calling the presence of weapons and activity by Hezbollah “constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
The IDF added that it struck rocket launchers in southern Lebanon belonging to the terror group.
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A November 2024 ceasefire ended more than a year of fighting, including some two months of open war, between Israel and Hezbollah.
The fighting began on October 8, 2023, when the Iran-backed terror group started attacking Israel daily with missiles and drones, in support of Hamas.
The ceasefire allows Israel to strike immediate threats, and near-daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives and their allies have continued. More than 150 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the start of the ceasefire.
Lebanon’s president said earlier this month that the country’s army now controls more than 85 percent of the country’s south, from which Hezbollah was obligated to withdraw under the ceasefire, although there has been no outside confirmation of the claim.
Israel was also obligated to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. It has pulled out from all but five strategic posts.
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