Without specifying whether ground army had crossed the border, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Israeli troops are “offensively moving” across southern Lebanon.
” Many forces are deployed on the border and IDF (army ) forces are carrying out offensive action currently throughout southern Lebanon”, Gallant said in a statement, also claiming that “half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated” in months of violence.
Without providing a specific number, he continued,” The other half are in concealing and abandoning the discipline to IDF activities.”
In a separate speech, the army said it had struck 40 Hezbollah goals in southern Lebanon.
” A short while ago, Army (army ) fighter jets and ordnance struck nearly 40 Hezbollah evil targets” around Aita al- Shaab in southern Lebanon, including storage facilities and ammunition, it said.
Hezbollah “has established dozens of evil methods and infrastructures in the area” to strike Israel, according to the army.
Israel carried out more than 13 hits close to Aita al-Shaab and the surrounding villages, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
” Jewish aircraft carried out… more than 13 heat strikes targeting the periphery of the cities of Aita as- Shaab, Ramya, Jabal Balat and Khallet Warda”, it said.
Hezbollah announced the attacks on Wednesday after an Israeli strike that was blamed on Israel resulted in the deaths of two citizens.
The group had previously launched rockets into northern Israel soon on Tuesday in response to the civilian casualties.
Since Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7 sparked a conflict in Gaza, cross-border flames exchanges have erupted between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Since October 7, at least 380 people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah soldiers but even 72 residents, according to an AFP score.
On its side of the border, Israel claims 11 men and eight citizens have been killed.
