IDF continues push in Southern Lebanon, pounds Hezbollah terrorists, sites

The Israel Defense Forces struck more than 70 terrorist infrastructure sites in Southern Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah in the past 24 hours, the military said on Saturday.

Among these were launchers and structures used by Hezbollah operatives to advance terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, the army noted.

In addition, seven Hezbollah terrorists who were operating from an underground route in Southern Lebanon were eliminated over the past week, the IDF said.

The underground site was used by the terrorists to store ammunition, mortars and food supplies to support attacks on IDF soldiers. In coordination with the Israeli Air Force, artillery forces and unmanned aircraft, the soldiers eliminated all seven, the military said.

Following the strike, the soldiers located Kalashnikov rifles and military equipment on the terrorists, as well as launch positions and additional weapons in the vicinity of the underground route.

On Friday, troops from the 769th “Hiram” Brigade, under the command of the IDF’s 91st “Galilee” Division, completed an operation in the area of Dibbin, in the Marjayoun District north of Metula. The area served as a Hezbollah stronghold used to advance and prepare terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and Israeli soldiers, the military said in a separate statement.

More than 50 targets were struck by the IAF, dozens of terrorist infrastructures were dismantled, significant weapons storage facilities were located, and terrorists were struck and eliminated from the air, the statement read.

More than 30 terrorists have been killed in the Dibbin area since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28, the IDF added.

On Thursday, during continued efforts to clear the massive underground tunnel network unearthed beneath the Beaufort Ridge in southeastern Lebanon, a drone operated by IDF soldiers identified Hezbollah terrorists inside the structure, the military said.

The terrorists fled and opened fire at the drone, the military continued. Shortly afterward, the terrorists were identified together with additional operatives attempting to escape from the tunnel route. Guided by the ground forces, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorists, the army said.

The soldiers located numerous weapons, including mortar shells, fragmentation grenades, RPG launchers, Kornet anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft machine guns, and Kalashnikov rifles, the IDF noted.

Over 1,300 Hezbollah terrorists eliminated

Meanwhile, the IDF revealed on Friday that more than 10 Hezbollah field commanders were recently eliminated, including their appointed successors.

Among those slain was the commander of the Nasser Unit, Hajj Salameh, and less than two months after his elimination, the IDF killed his two successors, one after the other: Mahdi Bazzi and Ashraf Salloum, the army said.

In addition, within less than 12 hours, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Shaqif Sector, Nasser Shaqir, and his successor, Ahmad Sablini, who had previously served as his deputy, the military continued.

Commanders of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil Sector (Ali Abbas), Tyre Sector (Kamil Younes), Hajir Sector (Fuad Moussa), Jibshit Sector (Hussein Salami), al-Khiam Sector (Ali Khayekh) and Qana Sector (Musallam Harb) were listed among those killed as well.

In total, more than 1,300 Hezbollah operatives have been killed across multiple areas in Lebanon since the start of the war, the IDF stated.

“The IDF will continue to operate against Hezbollah commanders, who serve as key figures in directing attacks against the civilians of the State of Israel and IDF soldiers,” the military said.

Hezbollah attacks Israel

Hezbollah meanwhile continued to launch missiles and hostile aircraft at Israeli communities along the Lebanese border and at soldiers operating in Southern Lebanon on June 12-13.

On Saturday morning, the IAF downed a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israel, according to the military.

Rocket-alert sirens were sounded as a result in the areas of Metula and Kibbutz Misgav Am in the Galilee Panhandle, the IDF said.

On Friday a little after 10 p.m., sirens blared in the areas of Kibbutz Manara and Moshav Margaliot west of Kiryat Shmona, and in a separate incident in the areas of the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe and Kibbutz Adamit in the Western Galilee, due to the infiltration of hostile aircraft.

The air force intercepted the hostile aircraft in the first incident. The second hit Israeli territory near the border. No injuries were reported and the incidents are under review, the IDF said.