IDF strikes Hezbollah after terror proxy launches drones at troops

The Israel Defense Forces struck Hezbollah sites overnight Tuesday in the Nabatieh area of Southern Lebanon, in response to the Iran-backed group’s earlier launch of two explosive drones at Israeli troops stationed near the Ali al-Taher Ridge, the military said.

IDF soldiers downed one of the drones, according to the military. No injuries were reported.

The sites were used by Hezbollah terrorists to plan and direct attacks targeting Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in the Security Zone, the military said, adding that the strikes were carried out to eliminate an immediate threat.

“IDF soldiers will continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists to advance and execute attacks,” the military added.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in his office in Jerusalem with the U.S. ambassadors to Lebanon and Israel, Michel Issa and Mike Huckabee, who are leading the diplomatic efforts between Israel and Lebanon, the premier’s office said.

The following morning, Huckabee tweeted that the “historic process” between the sides is being impeded only by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, which is “responsible for killing hundreds of Americans.”

The U.S. diplomat on Monday rejected the notion that negotiations between Israel and Lebanon were proceeding slowly and called the existence of direct talks between the two countries as “historic.”

Speaking remotely from Jerusalem to the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas, Huckabee pointed to Lebanon’s laws banning contact between Israeli and Lebanese citizens.

“I sat through five weeks of meetings in Washington where we had representatives from Lebanon, Israel and the United States, and for the first time, these parties were sitting down, talking amicably to each other and recognizing that Israel and Lebanon are not at war,” said Huckabee. “Lebanon’s problem is not Israel. Lebanon’s problem is Hezbollah.”

“It’s historic that it’s even happening,” he continued. “Yes, there are baby steps, but you know, all of us were infants once. We didn’t run marathons when we were three weeks old.”

“I would say we’re not quite crawling, but we’re making motion, and the whole process is alive,” he added.

Jerusalem and Beirut signed a framework agreement in Washington on June 26 that lays out the conditions for normalization, among them the disarmament of Hezbollah. Jerusalem has emphasized that an Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon will occur only once the threat from the Iranian terror proxy is removed.

Last month, Issa expressed cautious optimism ahead of renewed talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives in Rome held on Aug. 4-6.

“There is a meaningful difference between drafting an agreement on paper and implementing it responsibly,” Issa said of the June 26 framework agreement. He warned that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.” He added that both sides “must agree on a clear, workable process before proceeding.”

IDF activities continue in Southern Lebanon

On Wednesday morning, the IDF said that interceptor missiles were likely launched overnight toward a “false target.”

“Following the sirens that sounded overnight, regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in several areas in northern Israel, an initial assessment indicates that several interceptors were likely launched toward a false target,” the military said.

The IDF had earlier said it targeted a “suspicious aerial target” that likely crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

Sirens warning of a hostile aircraft infiltration first sounded at 4:26 a.m. in the border community of Kfar Yuval. Additional alerts were subsequently triggered across several areas in northern Israel as interceptors were launched.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the army said that several IDF brigades, under the 91st Division in the Security Zone in Southern Lebanon, had located, dismantled and removed terrorist infrastructure and weapons.

Military equipment and weapons were located, including guided anti-tank missiles, a rocket launcher, missile launchers, grenades, explosive devices, rifles and other military gear, the IDF said.

“Terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah was found embedded within civilian infrastructure, as is Hezbollah’s modus operandi, and was dismantled by the troops,” the IDF said.