The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday night that it had eliminated two Hezbollah-linked terror operatives in the Southern Lebanon village of Shebaa, just across the border from the Jewish state’s Golan Heights.
One of the terrorists was a member of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, while the other belonged to the Lebanese Resistance Brigades, which the IDF said is operating “at Hezbollah’s directions.”
According to the IDF statement, the terrorists were handling weapons used by Hezbollah for terrorist activities, and surveilling Israeli troops stationed in the southern part of the country.
Their actions “constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military stated, in reference to the November ceasefire deal with the government in Beirut. “The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”
The Lebanese Resistance Brigades was established by Hezbollah in the 1990s to broaden the group’s influence in Lebanon, with members hailing from Sunni, Christian and Druze communities.
While not officially part of Hezbollah’s terrorist army, it operates under its guidance and shares its Iranian-backed ideology and strategic goals.
On July 13, 2024, the Lebanese Resistance Brigades took responsibility for what it said was its first rocket attack on Israel.
The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the expiration of the ceasefire on Feb. 18. The agreement ended following more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began attacking the north the day after the Hamas-led cross-border massacre in southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
The terms of the Nov. 27 ceasefire deal between Jerusalem and Beirut required Hezbollah to vacate all areas south of the Litani River, which it has been refusing to do. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned that the ceasefire deal would be void if Hezbollah refuses to withdraw.
Under the deal, the IDF is authorized to counter threats from Lebanon, such as observed preparations for a Hezbollah rocket launch, and to address emerging threats—for example, the digging of new tunnels or arms transfers—if Beirut’s government is unwilling or unable to act.
