The Israel Defense Forces struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the Tyre area of Southern Lebanon on Monday, the military said, in response to the Iranian terror proxy’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings.”
On Sunday night, the IDF said it eliminated the local head of artillery for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist army in Arzoun, a village near Tyre.
Muhammad al-Hussein “advanced numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel and IDF troops during the war, and recently took part in attempts to restore Hezbollah’s artillery abilities” the IDF said.
“Simultaneously to his involvement in terrorist activity, al-Husseini worked as a school teacher,” it added.
In a separate strike in the Bir al-Sansal area of Southern Lebanon on Sunday, the IDF killed Jawad Basma, a Hezbollah terrorist “who operated at a weapons manufacturing site,” the statement continued.
“The terrorist’s activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” it added. “The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”
As part of a wave of strikes across Southern Lebanon on Sunday, the IDF attacked Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and other “military” infrastructure, the army’s Spokesperson’s Unit stated separately.
One of the strikes targeted “a military structure located in a base” that had been used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force “to advance terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”
The Radwan Force is the Hezbollah unit tasked with infiltrating Israel, seizing areas along the Jewish state’s northern border and abducting hostages as part of the terrorist group’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan.
On Wednesday, the IDF attacked four crossings in the Shi’ite-majority Hermel area along the Syria-Lebanon border. A separate strike killed Muhammad Awasha, a key Hezbollah weapons dealer and smuggler.
Also on Wednesday, the IDF carried out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure across several areas in Southern Lebanon, targeting weapons storage facilities and an underground arms depot embedded in civilian neighborhoods and used to turn residents into human shields.
The IDF also targeted and killed Abu Ali Salameh, a Hezbollah liaison officer for the village of Yanouh in the Tyre District.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem declared on Jan. 17 that his terrorist army would not disarm and “the aggression against Lebanon cannot continue,” saying the organization has the “right to defend ourselves.”
The remarks followed statements by Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, who said in a recent interview with Sky News Arabia that Israel retained the right to strike Lebanon until Hezbollah fully disarms.
Rajji was quoted as saying that “as long as weapons are not permanently restricted, [Israel] unfortunately has the right to continue its attacks according to the agreement.”
Hezbollah started attacking the Jewish state on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel, opening a second front in the nation’s north that lasted until the truce on Nov. 27, 2024.
The ceasefire terms required Hezbollah to disarm, starting in regions adjacent to the border with Israel, with the Lebanese Armed Forces mandated to establish 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.
