The Israeli military has announced it carried out a series of raids in several areas in southern Lebanon which it said “dismantled” weapons infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The Israeli Defense Forces on Wednesday said it targeted a compound “containing weapons depots and firing positions” in Jabal Blat Ridge. The army claimed troops demolished the site.
Another raid near Labbouneh targeted an underground structure used for storing weapons, according to the IDF. The army said it included “a multi-barrel launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices.”
The IDF shared a video on X which was captioned “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites dismantled by the 300th brigade.” It showed plumes of smoke billowing in the air simultaneously from several sites that were targeted.
In November 2024, Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal, brokered by the US and France, which ended more than a year of cross-border fighting.
Under the truce, the Israeli army was required to withdraw from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon that would be patrolled by the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.
But since then, Israel’s army has said it would remain in five strategic locations in the area temporarily to “defend Israeli citizens,” before they were “eventually” handed over to Lebanese forces. The locations provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, the army said.
In April, Hezbollah’s leader Naim Kassem urged Lebanon’s government to work harder to end Israel’s attacks in the country as Israel continued to violate the ceasefire with near-daily airstrikes.
“The resistance complied 100% with the deal and I tell state officials that it’s your duty to guarantee protection,” Kassem said.
On Sunday, Kassem said the group remains open to peace, but would not back down until Israel ends its strikes and withdraws from southern Lebanon.
“We cannot be asked to soften our stance or lay down arms while [Israeli] aggression continues,” he said.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah intensified last September, when Israel carried out massive airstrikes across Lebanon and killed Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli ground forces invaded days later.
More than 4,000 people were killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon. More than 1.2 million people were displaced. Hezbollah rockets forced around 60,000 people from their homes in northern Israel and killed 76 people, including 31 soldiers.