The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on December 17 that the 98th Division had completed operations in southern Lebanon and was preparing for its next mission in the Gaza Strip. The announcement comes more than two weeks after a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that mostly suspended fighting with Hezbollah.
The IDF has concentrated on the Syrian border since the Assad regime fell on December 8. However, missions in Gaza and Lebanon remain, and the Israeli military seeks to keep the pressure on Hamas and, to the extent deemed necessary amid the ceasefire’s terms and reported violations, Hezbollah.
The 98th Division consists of several brigades of Israeli paratroopers and the Commando Brigade, including elite soldiers from a variety of units with special skills tailored to fighting terrorists. Earlier in the conflict, the 98th Division was tasked with clearing Khan Younis in southern Gaza and fighting one of the key Hamas brigades there. The IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade was attached to the 98th so that the latter would have tank support. In September 2024, the IDF transferred the 98th Division to the Lebanon border to prepare for Israel’s escalation against Hezbollah that began in mid-September. The division then spent two months fighting in southern Lebanon.
The IDF stated that the 98th Division had “conducted several division-level operations in different areas in southern Lebanon, including Kfarkela, Al-Aadaissah, Rab El Thalathine, Markaba, Taybeh and Khiam.” The statement added that the unit recently fought in Khiam, a Lebanese village north of the Israeli border town of Metulla that is known as a center of Hezbollah activity. The IDF said thousands of rockets had been fired from this area toward northern Israel over the past year. Israel’s military assess that the 98th Division destroyed 300 “terrorist infrastructure sites” in the operation.
After the ceasefire began on November 27, the IDF continued to uncover munitions in southern Lebanon and dismantle tunnels and other sites linked to Hezbollah. “The troops have been operating in order to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping, locate weapons and terrorist infrastructure, and remove threats to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF said on December 15.
Now, the 98th Division is preparing to head south as Israel prepares to wrap up operations in southern Lebanon. The two-month ceasefire with Lebanon requires the IDF to leave south Lebanon in 60 days, barring specific conditions. It appears the ceasefire is expected to continue.
Despite the agreement, the IDF says it continues to find violations in Lebanon and carry out strikes when it finds threats. For instance, on December 14, Israeli aircraft “struck a loaded and ready-to-use launcher aimed at Israel in violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said.
In another operation in southern Lebanon, an IDF unit found “several weapon storage facilities, including a mobile rocket launcher from which numerous rockets were fired over the past year toward communities in the Galilee Panhandle.” Mortar shells, anti-tank missiles, and other weapons were also discovered.
During a third incident on December 17, Israeli forces spotted a Hezbollah member “loading a vehicle with weapons in southern Lebanon, in violation of the ceasefire agreements,” Israel’s military said. The Israeli Air Force struck the vehicle.
In addition, the 188th Armored Brigade located a tunnel near the Israeli border in another sector, and a “command center” was found in the same area, the IDF noted. “Weapons, surveillance systems, and additional military equipment used by Hezbollah to coordinate terror activities in the area were located inside the command center.” Israeli combat engineers dismantled the site.
