The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued combing through southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah sites and extract weapons and munitions from villages and hilly terrain near the Israeli border. These operations come as the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has entered its second month, and the IDF has a limited window to operate in Lebanon before it is supposed to withdraw in the third week of January.
In the most recent operations, the IDF’s 769th Brigade maintained efforts to “dismantle Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in line with agreements between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said on December 31. The 769th is a territorial brigade that controls the eastern sector along the border with Lebanon, while the 300th Brigade controls the western sector. Both territorial brigades fall under the 91st Division.
The 769th spent most of the last year on defense, waiting for the IDF to prepare offensive operations into Lebanon. Those operations finally began in late September, and Israeli forces crossed the border in strength on October 1. The IDF first mentioned the 769th operating inside Lebanon in early November, and the unit cleared several areas between the border and the Litani River.
The Israeli military stated that the 769th worked with the Golani Brigade and other troops in the Saluki stream region of southern Lebanon over the last week of December. This well-known area was the site of a tough battle in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. “The troops conducted searches and located a concealed storage facility in complex terrain. The storage facility contained a significant amount of weaponry, including launchers, missiles, and explosive devices,” the IDF stated. Israeli forces also found rifles, among other weapons, before dismantling the site.
The IDF has discovered significant weapons caches in southern Lebanon, including numerous Iranian-made 107mm rockets and anti-tank missiles and massive quantities of AK-47s and explosives. The IDF has also found many vehicles used for launching rockets, some of which have been put on display at several sites in Israel. On December 27, Major General Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli Air Force, visited one of these sites and commented on Israel’s current operations.
“This morning, we struck seven crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border. We understood that [Hezbollah was] trying to test us and smuggle weapons once again. They are attempting to raise their heads and test how strictly we are enforcing these understandings. This must not be tolerated,” Bar said. These comments highlight the continuing challenges the IDF faces in preventing Hezbollah from re-arming.
In another sector of Lebanon, the IDF’s 226th brigade, which is part of the 146th Division, also combed through the hill country near Naqoura on the Mediterranean coast. “The troops identified military equipment and weapons storage facilities embedded inside civilian buildings, including [finding] explosives, RPG missiles, and AK-47 rifles inside a pharmacy,” the IDF said. The troops also discovered several large Burkan missiles and a 40-barrel launcher mounted on a truck.
In a third area along the border, the 300th Brigade found a tunnel near the border estimated to stretch 100 meters. “With the assistance of the Yahalom Unit, who investigated and cleared the tunnel route of explosives and threats, the troops located rifles, machine guns, anti-tank missiles, and observation systems inside the tunnel,” the IDF said. The tunnel was then destroyed.
As the IDF continues operations in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has warned it will respond to Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Mahmoud Komati, the deputy chief of Hezbollah’s Political Council, commented on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV that Israel will need to withdraw its forces by the end of the 60-day ceasefire. “Hezbollah is committed to the ceasefire during the first 60 days mentioned in the text of the truce deal,” Komati added.
