Israeli army says troops destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon

Jerusalem, July 9 (IANS) The Israeli military said on Wednesday it completed "targeted operations" in southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure sites and weapons depots.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

According to a statement from the military, in one of the raids, the Israeli troops located and "dismantled" a compound containing weapons depots and firing positions belonging to Hezbollah.

In another raid, soldiers located weapons hidden in thicketed terrain in the Labbouneh area, including a multi-barrel launcher, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices. Meanwhile, an underground weapons storage was also located and destroyed.

The military said the raids were carried out to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing itself in the area.

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, ending 14 months of cross-border fighting, Israel has continued occasional strikes in Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.

While the ceasefire last year ended the conflict, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks have also targeted homes, municipal employees and civilian infrastructure.

Earlier on June 20, the IDF had said that its fighter jets struck Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon.

The statement added that the targets included rocket and missile launchers, and weapons storage facilities in the area.

The IDF claimed that Hezbollah attempted to reestablish its activity in these sites.

"The presence of weapons and Hezbollah's activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the statement read.

"The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to Israel."

The IDF killed Mohammad Khader Al-Husseini, commander of the Hezbollah firepower array in the Litani sector, in southern Lebanon.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli military continued to carry out occasional strikes in Lebanon, claiming they are intended to neutralise Hezbollah "threats."

Since a November 2024 ceasefire, the IDF had remained deployed to five strategic posts inside southern Lebanon. Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire have been frequent, but IDF ground operations beyond the areas of the five posts have been much rarer.

--IANS

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