Troops belonging to the Israel Defense Forces’ 91st Division have located and dismantled more than 540 Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites across the southern Lebanon security zone over recent weeks, the military confirmed on Tuesday.
Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Operating in sectors directly opposite Israeli border communities including Metula, Margaliot, and across the Western Galilee, Israeli forces conducted extensive search-and-destroy missions in several strategic staging grounds, most notably within the village of Khiam.
A central focus of the raids involved identifying and detonating concealed weapons warehouses and combat positions embedded within civilian structures.
1+Throughout the sweep operations, soldiers confiscated more than 150 weapons systems and components. The seized materiel included high-explosive grenades, operational rockets, short- and long-range anti-tank guided missiles, rocket launchers, artillery equipment, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In addition, forces gathered extensive caches of small arms, including dozens of Kalashnikov assault rifles and handguns.
Operating alongside the division’s organic units were combat troops from the Officer Candidate School’s Gefen Battalion (Bahad 1), who helped uncover sub-surface combat infrastructure and neutralize booby-trapped sites.
1+The IDF underscored that its forces will not permit the Hezbollah terrorist organization to rebuild attack positions capable of threatening Israeli civilian communities or military personnel. Security officials reiterated that the military will continue executing decisive operations to eradicate emerging threats along the perimeter, maintaining strict adherence to the parameters of the ceasefire understanding.
These defensive ground maneuvers coincide with ongoing diplomatic contacts between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the United States. The diplomatic talks revolve around an outline drafted in June, which ties the formal disarmament of Hezbollah to a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces and the sovereign deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) throughout the south. Hezbollah, for its part, continues to reject calls for disarmament. On Tuesday, a Lebanese military delegation is scheduled to convene with Israeli and American defense officials in Tampa, Florida, to deliberate operational mechanisms for implementing the agreement.