Israel Defense Forces reservists operating in southwestern Lebanon discovered dozens of weapons hidden inside civilian infrastructure, the military said on Thursday.
The weapons cache was found in the village of Majdal Zoun, about four miles north of the border, during operations to eliminate Hezbollah threats in the Israeli-controlled security zone, according to the IDF.
The storage facility held items including Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, ammunition, grenades, explosives, anti-tank missiles and mortar shells.
Soldiers also demolished structures in the area that had been used by Hezbollah terrorists, the military stated.
“The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to its troops and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to harm Israeli civilians,” the statement concluded.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told soldiers during a visit to Lebanon on Wednesday that the military would maintain its security zone in the country’s south until “long-term security is ensured.”
“We have established a security zone and are clearing it of terrorist infrastructure—these are areas from which the Hezbollah terrorist organization prepared, threatened and operated against the communities in northern Israel,” Zamir told ground troops. “If required, we will deepen our operations and reach additional areas,” he added.
He spoke hours after Hezbollah terrorists launched an explosive drone at an Israeli engineering vehicle in southeastern Lebanon, in what the IDF described as a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement with Beirut.
The IDF said no soldiers were injured in the attack, which took place near the Ali al-Taher Ridge inside the Israeli-controlled security zone.
The military has presented Israel’s political leadership with several proposed responses to the drone attack and is awaiting a decision, Channel 12 News reported on Thursday.
Although Jerusalem views the attack as a blatant violation of the truce, the report said, officials expect a limited response that will not see renewed strikes on Beirut.
