Forces from the 91st Division began targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah launch sites, command posts, and other infrastructure used to attack Israel.
By The IDF Club
Israel’s defense minister announced that Israeli forces have begun a ground maneuver in southern Lebanon aimed at dismantling Hezbollah positions and removing threats to communities in northern Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation was launched to push Hezbollah forces away from the border and restore security for residents of the Galilee after months of rocket and drone attacks.
“IDF forces have begun a ground maneuver in Lebanon to remove threats and protect the residents of the Galilee and the north,” Katz said.
He warned that large numbers of Shiite residents who have fled fighting in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut would not be allowed to return to areas south of the Litani River until Israel’s security demands are met.
“Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated their homes will not return south of the Litani area until the safety of residents in northern Israel is guaranteed,” he said.
Katz also delivered a sharp message to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, accusing him of hiding underground while civilians bear the consequences of the conflict.
“Naim Qassem, who boasts and tells the IDF ‘come, go ahead,’ is hiding underground while turning more than a million Shiites into refugees in their own country,” Katz said.
The defense minister added that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military to systematically destroy Hezbollah terror infrastructure in villages along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu and I directed the IDF to act and destroy terror infrastructure in the villages along the border in Lebanon in order to prevent threats and stop Hezbollah from returning to these areas,” Katz said.
According to the military, forces from the 91st Division began targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon as part of the broader effort to dismantle Hezbollah launch sites, command posts, and other infrastructure used to attack Israel.
Speaking Monday evening, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the fighting against Hezbollah is closely tied to Israel’s broader campaign against Iran.
“Iran is the main arena,” Zamir said. “Weakening the regime and its capabilities will weaken the entire radical axis, including the Hezbollah terror organization.”
He added that every strike against Iran’s military capabilities and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also undermines Hezbollah’s ability to arm and finance its operations.
“Every blow to the military buildup of Iran and the Revolutionary Guards also harms Hezbollah’s ability to receive weapons and funding,” Zamir said. “The impact of weakening the radical regime in Iran is also being felt in the campaign against Hezbollah.”
Zamir revealed that Israeli forces had already begun a focused ground campaign in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.
“In the past two weeks we launched a targeted ground operation in southern Lebanon in order to push the threat away from the border and ensure long-term security for residents of the north,” he said.
The ground maneuver follows weeks of escalating exchanges along Israel’s northern front. Hezbollah has been launching rockets and drones toward northern Israel since entering the war alongside Iran, repeatedly sending residents into shelters across the Galilee.
In response, the Israeli Air Force has carried out sustained waves of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut and other strongholds of the Iranian-backed group.
Last week, Hezbollah launched roughly 200 rockets and drones toward Israel in a single evening barrage, prompting widespread interceptions by Israeli air defense systems while Israeli aircraft struck launchers and military infrastructure across Lebanon.
Following that attack, Hezbollah announced the start of a new campaign against Israel dubbed “Al-Asif Al-Ma’koul,” signaling an escalation along the northern front as Israeli forces now move to dismantle the group’s positions on the ground.
