Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched another wave of strikes on southern Lebanon, the heartland of Hezbollah, over the night of April 16 and 17.
The strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, the IDF announced in a brief statement, without providing more specific details.
“Hezbollah is cynically exploiting civilian infrastructure for terror purposes, and using Lebanon’s residents as a human shield,” the military said. “The IDF will act against efforts by Hezbollah to restore assets or entrench itself militarily.”
Later in the day, an Israeli drone strike targeted the outskirts of the town of Blida, which is also located in southern Lebanon.
The IDF announced that the strike killed Ali Ibar al-Nabi Khadi, the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s forces in the Mhaibib area.
Lebanese media reported three additional Israeli drone strikes on pre-built rooms close to the town of Mhaibib in southern Lebanon later on, without mentioning any casualties. The IDF has not yet released any statement addressing these strikes.
Hezbollah accepted a ceasefire proposed by the United States last November, ending a heated confrontation with the IDF that broke out more than a year earlier as a result of the Israeli war on the group’s ally, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire, which entered into effect on November 27, was supposed to end all clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border by February 18. Nevertheless, the Israeli military continues to launch strikes against Hezbollah. It also maintains troops at five strategic points in southern Lebanon.
Facing unprecedented pressure, Hezbollah withdrew from most of its positions in southern Lebanon earlier this month and voiced its readiness to discuss a new defense arrangement involving its arsenal with the Lebanon government. However, the group walked back on the idea of disarming in recent days. This was quickly met with more strikes from Israel.
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