IDF Kills Dozens in Weeklong Raid on Hezbollah Sites Beyond Lebanon’s Litani River

The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out a weeklong raid against Hezbollah sites beyond the Litani River, with Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit troops crossing the river and clearing Hezbollah infrastructure while not crossing the line demarcating the IDF’s new security zone in southern Lebanon.

“The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that its troops recently crossed the Litani River for a weeklong raid”

The Times of Israel

During the raid, the IDF said troops encountered numerous Hezbollah operatives and killed dozens of them in close-quarters combat and by directing airstrikes, while the Israeli Air Force struck over 100 targets in support of the ground troops.

Alma Research and Education Center

The IDF also said Israeli strikes Monday night on a town in southern Lebanon killed six people and wounded seven others, according to Lebanese state media, and it said the strikes hit a house in Kfar Dounine with the wounded transported to hospitals in Tyre.

In a separate development, the IDF said two Lebanese civil defense members were killed in a strike on Tuesday in Nabatieh while carrying out a rescue mission after an earlier attack, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF said its Golani Brigade advanced all the way to the Litani River, around 10 kilometers from Israel’s northern border, and used robots for parts of the operation to remove mortar firing cells and certain tactical tunnels Hezbollah was using.

The Jerusalem Post added that over three days of fighting the IDF said it killed around 15 Hezbollah fighters and that the Golani Brigade destroyed around 1,000 items of terror infrastructure, while it said the brigade has lost three soldiers over the last two months of war in Lebanon.

Anadolu Ajansi

In an interview with ynet, Lt. Col. B., commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, recalled that “The attack from the point where we were to the Litani area took us 48 hours,” and he said the unit advanced at night “in total darkness” to surprise Hezbollah.

Lt. Col. B. described a battle that lasted nearly two hours, saying “With organized fire management, it was clear to me that within two hours, those terrorists would no longer be alive,” while he also said explosive drones were a significant threat but that dense brush and fiber optics gave the soldiers an advantage.

The Times of Israel said the IDF achieved “operational control” over the area during the weeklong raid and carried out engineering activity to enable easier crossing of the river by troops in the future if required.

“The IDF said the troops achieved operational control over the area”

The Times of Israel

The Times of Israel also reported that the IDF said it struck some 45 total Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the preceding 24 hours, including command centers, surveillance posts, staging grounds, buildings used by Hezbollah, and some 10 weapon depots.

In a broader escalation described by Anadolu Ajansı, the Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that “We will continue the strikes without stopping,” while he said the army would continue targeting Hezbollah to bolster what he described as the security of northern Israel.

Anadolu Ajansı further said the Lebanese Health Ministry reported dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries as a result of Israeli airstrikes that hit several areas across the country, and it described the operation as “The Eternal Darkness” with about 50 fighter jets and about 160 shells in 10 minutes.