Israel Forces Continue Finding Hezbollah Weapons in Civilian Areas

Israeli forces intensifying operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon discovered and destroyed numerous weapons caches hidden in civilian areas of southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

Recent searches turned up hundreds of anti-tank rockets, grenade mortars and a rocket-launching vehicle. Soldiers also dismantled several shafts leading to underground Hezbollah infrastructure.

“The IDF operates in southern Lebanon against any violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, is deployed in southern Lebanon, and will act against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the army said.

Under the terms of a two-month ceasefire that went into effect on November 27,, Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw its armed presence from areas of southern Lebanon south of the Litani River. Israeli forces will also withdraw from southern Lebanon in stages. The Lebanese Armed Forces is to be deployed in southern Lebanon including along the 120 km border with Israel, as will monitors from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began launching rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.