IDF carries out wave of strikes on Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon, warns of more

Israel demands terror group be disarmed; Lebanese president condemns attacks as ‘despicable political crime,’ as Netanyahu discusses state of truce with security cabinet

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday conducted a wave of airstrikes against infrastructure and weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in southern Lebanon, saying they would step up attacks unless the terror group was disarmed.

Giving a preliminary toll, the Lebanese health ministry said that one person was wounded in the afternoon bombing after one person was killed in strikes earlier in the day. Israel had issued evacuation orders ahead of the strikes.

The attacks were condemned by Lebanon’s national government, but an IDF official warned they were “just a preview” of what’s to come if the Iran-backed terror group is not fully disarmed by the Lebanese military.

The airstrikes came after the IDF issued evacuation warnings for several sites in the towns of Kfar Dounine, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Ayta al-Jabal, Taybeh, and Tayr Debba.

The locations ranged from just 4 km (2.5 miles) away from the Israeli border to nearly 24 km (15 miles) north of the frontier.

The warnings ordered residents to keep a 500-meter (yard) distance from the identified locations. Lebanon’s civil defense helped people to evacuate, the Lebanese state news agency said.

According to the IDF, the targeted weapon depots were “located in the heart of a civilian population and serve as another example of the Hezbollah terror organization’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields.”

The strikes on Thursday destroyed an ironworks business in the southern Lebanon town of Abbasiyeh, according to Reuters.

“The Hezbollah terror organization continues attempts to restore terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon and is focusing on rebuilding the [Radwan Force’s] capabilities with the aim of harming the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

The military added that it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including by issuing the evacuation warnings, using precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.

The IDF said the existence of the Hezbollah infrastructure and weapon depots constituted a violation of the November 2024 ceasefire deal, which allows the IDF to respond to immediate threats.

Lebanon’s president calls wave of strikes illegal, ‘despicable’

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun slammed the strikes as a violation of international law, in a post on X.

“What Israel did today in southern Lebanon is not only a crime under international law… but also a despicable political crime,” he wrote.

He added that while Lebanon remains open to negotiations, Israel continues its aggression against Lebanon.

He concluded: “Almost a year since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has spared no effort to show its refusal of an arrangement between the two countries — your message has been received.”

Meanwhile, a senior IDF official told Channel 12 news Thursday night that the strikes were “just a preview” of what is to come if Hezbollah is not disarmed.

“If the Lebanese army does not disarm Hezbollah and fails to meet the demands of the ceasefire,” said the IDF officer, “Israel, with US backing, will attack Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut.”

Israel has given Beirut an ultimatum that it will carry out a broad operation if the Lebanese Armed Forces don’t step up their efforts, according to the outlet.

Israel said to hand US, France evidence Hezbollah rebuilding

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet Thursday evening to discuss Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild its military capabilities in recent months.

According to Channel 12, Israel handed evidence of Hezbollah’s rearmament and failure by the LAF to disarm the Shiite terror group to the US and France, who are both part of the mechanism monitoring the ceasefire.

The evacuation warnings on Thursday coincided with a meeting of Lebanon’s cabinet to hear an update from army commander Rodolphe Haykal on progress in confiscating Hezbollah arms depots in south Lebanon.

The army has said it could clear all of southern Lebanon of arms outside of state control by the end of the year. Two senior Lebanese security officials told Reuters hours before the heavy strikes on Thursday that their troops were making swifter progress every month on disarmament.

US sanctions Hezbollah members involved in finances

Also Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members involved in financial transactions for the Iran-backed terror group.

The sanctions were announced ahead of a visit to Lebanon by John Hurley, the Treasury Department official in charge of sanctions against extremist groups.

The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on three Hezbollah members, blocking any assets they have in the United States and making transactions with them subject to prosecution.

The three allegedly were involved in transfers of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the Shiite movement’s main sponsor, in part by using money exchange companies that operate in cash.

“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous and secure — but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” Hurley said in a statement.

Israel’s war with Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023, when the terror group began firing missiles at the Jewish state a day after the Hamas-led onslaught in the south. Israel launched massive airstrikes and a limited ground incursion in September 2024. A ceasefire was declared two months later, with Hezbollah left severely weakened.

Since then, the Lebanese army has drawn up a plan to disarm the terror group and has reportedly expended so much ordnance to blow up Hezbollah stockpiles that it has faced shortages of explosives. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has vowed not to lay down its arms.