IDF hit over 600 targets, killed 200 Hezbollah terrorists since start of Lebanon operation
Since that time, units from the Northern Command have struck more than 600 targets across Lebanon from the air, sea and land, using more than 820 rounds of munitions, the military said on Sunday.
Additionally, more than 190 terrorists were eliminated in the strikes, including terrorist Abu Hamza Rami, the commander of the Lebanese General Staff, equivalent in rank to a major general, two commanders equivalent in rank to a colonel, and three battalion commanders in the terrorist organization. In addition, 27 waves of strikes have been carried out around Beirut, five of which were in the Dahiyeh district.
The military said that throughout the operations, “The IDF has maintained a commitment to precision and mitigation of civilian harm by issuing evacuation warnings for areas near Hezbollah infrastructure, particularly in Dahiyeh, while employing precise munitions, advanced intelligence and aerial surveillance to focus attacks exclusively on terrorist targets.”
The operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has resulted in the first IDF casualties since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion.
One of the soldiers killed was named Sgt. First Class Maher Khatar, 38, a heavy machinery operator in the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division’s combat engineering unit, from the Druze town of Majdal Shams near the Syrian border.
The name of the second soldier has yet to be released, pending notification of the family.
According to a preliminary investigation, the incident occurred when a Puma armored personnel carrier got stuck due to conditions in the area. Another Puma APC and two D9 armored bulldozers were dispatched in an attempt to extract the stuck vehicle.
One of the D9 bulldozers was struck by a projectile, killing the two soldiers. An officer was also injured in the incident.
The deaths come after two other soldiers were moderately wounded in a missile attack on an Israeli military position in southern Lebanon on Friday afternoon.
The Shia terror organization launched several waves of rockets at Israel on Saturday, appearing in a couple of cases to be coordinating the attacks with Iranian ballistic missile launches.
On Sunday, the IDF announced that an Israeli Air Force combat helicopter intercepted a drone near the border with Lebanon earlier that morning.
A small number of homes within Israeli territory sustained damage after being hit by artillery shells that were fired as part of the effort, the military said, noting that it is currently investigating the incident.
IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued two evacuation warnings to residents of southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, urging them to evacuate ahead of significant IDF maneuvers in the territory against Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah’s terrorist activities are forcing the IDF to act against it forcefully in that area,” Col. Andrade said in a statement. “The airstrikes are ongoing as the IDF is operating with great force in the area, and therefore, out of concern for your safety, we reiterate and urge you to evacuate your homes immediately and head immediately north of the Litani River.”
The military also released video of airstrikes on rocket launchers, which it says were ready to fire on Israel at the time of the strikes.
The IDF’s Northern Command estimates that they have severely damaged the axis between Iran and Lebanon in “Operation Roaring Lion,” Israeli media reported. The military has focused its attacks on destroying infrastructure related to the Iranian axis in Lebanon, including Hezbollah and Iranian leaders, financial infrastructure, and combat headquarters.
The Northern Command currently assesses that there is an almost complete disconnect between Hezbollah and Iran. This is in contrast to Operation “Northern Arrows,” in which Iran assisted Hezbollah before and during the fighting.
Sunday morning, the IDF struck an apartment in the Ramada Inn of Beirut where key commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were staying. The IDF said the officers were members of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force, the branch of the IRGC handling units abroad.
Lebanese media reported that four people were killed in the strike, but did not identify them.
Many of the strikes have targeted the Dahiyeh district in Beirut, an important stronghold for Hezbollah. After Operation Northern Arrows in 2024, the IDF said that Hezbollah transferred a significant amount of weapons, weapons production lines, and command headquarters to the district. During the current rounds of strikes, numerous secondary explosions have been detected, indicating the presence of stored munitions. The Israeli Air Force has hit 50 high-rise buildings in the Dahiyeh district so far, the military said.
At the same time, the Northern Command is conducting a “hunt” against Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, the group tasked with infiltrating the Galilee as part of any Hezbollah invasion into Israel. An officer in the Northern Command told Walla News the Radwan Force’s decision to move from southern Beirut and the Lebanon Valley to southern Lebanon to fight IDF forces was a strategic mistake. According to IDF data, there have been significant casualties on Radwan’s force, and so far, about 200 Hezbollah operatives have been injured in Beirut and southern Lebanon, he said.
The IDF said it is taking “every action to avoid causing northern Israeli communities to face evacuations like those of Oct. 8, 2023, prioritizing the protection of civilians in their homes while continuing operations against Hezbollah infrastructure.”
