The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday struck a command-and-control center in Southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.
The presence of such terrorist infrastructure “constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” according to the military.
“The IDF will strike armed terrorists in Southern Lebanon and will operate in order to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” added the statement.
Earlier on Sunday, the IDF confirmed that a parked vehicle near Moshav Avivim in northern Israel had been hit by gunfire likely from Lebanon.
No injuries were reported.
The military was investigating the incident.
“The claim that it was an errant bullet from the funeral of a Hezbollah terrorist in a nearby village [in Southern Lebanon] is completely unacceptable,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to Hebrew-language media.
Jerusalem will “not allow a reality of northern residents being fired on for any reason, and we will respond to any violation of the ceasefire” with Lebanon, he added.
On Friday, Katz confirmed that Israeli troops will remain at five strategic outposts in Southern Lebanon “indefinitely,” despite the launch of talks with Beirut regarding 13 disputed points along the international border.
The five outposts are located at a hill near Labbouneh, opposite the Israeli border town of Shlomi; on the Jabal Blat peak, opposite Moshav Zar’it; on a hill opposite Moshav Avivim and Kibbutz Malkia; on a hill opposite Moshav Margaliot; and on a hill opposite the town of Metula.
On Tuesday, Israel and Lebanon initiated negotiations toward settling the border disputes between the countries. Representatives of the IDF, the United States, France and Lebanon agreed during a meeting in Naqoura in Southern Lebanon to establish three joint working groups aimed at stabilizing the region.
As part of these developments, and in coordination with the United States, five Lebanese detainees were transferred from Israel to Lebanon as a gesture of goodwill to Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun.
