IDF kills Hezbollah terrorist in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday targeted and killed a Hezbollah terrorist near Ansariyah in southwestern Lebanon “in response to Hezbollah’s repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings,” the military said.

The IDF also on Monday struck several Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in Southern Lebanon “in order to prevent reestablishment attempts of the terrorist organization.” The military noted that one of facilities was located in the heart of a civilian area, calling it “another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields, and continued operations from within civilian infrastructure.”

On Sunday, the IDF struck in the Harouf area in Southern Lebanon, killing terrorist Ali al-Hadi Mustafa al-Haqqani, a senior officer in Hezbollah’s aerial array who had recently been involved in efforts to rehabilitate “military” infrastructure belonging to the Iranian-backed terrorist organization.

In an additional strike carried out on Monday, the IDF killed a terrorist involved in attempts to rehabilitate Hezbollah “military” infrastructure, again in the Ansariyah area.

Also on Sunday, the IDF struck and killed Ali Dawoud Amich, who served as a division head in Hezbollah’s engineering department, the military said.

Amich was involved in attempts to rehabilitate the Iranian terror proxy’s infrastructure in the Al-Dweir area in Southern Lebanon and advance attacks against Israeli troops, according to the IDF.

“The terrorist’s actions constituted a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the statement said, adding, “the IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat against the State of Israel.”

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF targeted and killed a Hezbollah terrorist in the al-Dweir area of Southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh District and also struck Hezbollah engineering vehicles in the Mazra’at Aboudiyeh area of the same region.

On Saturday, the Israeli military killed a Hezbollah terrorist who was engaged in efforts to rebuild military infrastructure in the Markaba area in southeastern Lebanon.

January saw a sharp rise in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, with 87 attacks—more than twice December’s total and the highest monthly figure since the ceasefire began, according to analysis of the data published on Monday by the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center.

Nearly half of the strikes hit targets north of the Litani River, Hezbollah’s main stronghold, focusing on terrorist infrastructure.

In total, 21 terrorists were killed in Lebanon during the month—20 from Hezbollah and one from Hamas. The IDF’s strike policy has remained unchanged despite shifting intensity levels, according to Alma’s assessment.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led terrorist assault, opening a second front along the country’s northern border. The attacks continued until a truce took effect on Nov. 27, 2024.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah was required to disarm, beginning in areas adjacent to the Israeli border, with the Lebanese Armed Forces tasked with establishing a monopoly over weapons in the country.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office in a Jan. 8 statement said that while Beirut’s efforts were “an encouraging beginning,” they were “far from sufficient” given Hezbollah’s ongoing Iran-aided rearmament efforts.

“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly that Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future,” said Jerusalem.