IDF says paratroopers killed armed Hezbollah operatives near a church in southern Lebanon

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Last night, the military says soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade spotted a group of armed Hezbollah operatives close to a church in southern Lebanon, a site previously known to have been used by the terror group.

The paratroopers opened fire at the gunmen, killing them, the IDF says.

“The terrorists who were eliminated were active in [Hezbollah’s] ground defense, anti-tank and artillery arrays in the area, and took part in the fighting while using the church,” the military says in a statement.

After the operatives were killed, the IDF says soldiers scanned the church today and located a tunnel shaft that was used to store weapons.

The IDF is still deployed to southern Lebanon, and it has until late January to withdraw under the ceasefire deal.

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