Following explosive Hezbollah drone attacks, IDF conducts airstrikes in southern Lebanon

The IDF conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon Sunday morning, following the launch of two explosive drones by Hezbollah, targeting Israeli soldiers. 

The IDF called the launch of the explosive drones “a blatant violation by the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” saying it would “continue to operate in the security zone to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF forces.” 

No soldiers were harmed in the drone attacks, the military said. 

Before the airstrikes, the IDF issued evacuation notices for the town of Arab Salim. 

“Urgent Warning to Lebanese Citizens, Specifically Residents of Arab Salim,” the evacuation notice by Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arab Spokesperson, said. “In the wake of the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, following the launch of an explosive drone toward Defense Forces troops, Hezbollah's terrorist activity is forcing the Defense Forces to act against it forcefully. The Defense Forces do not intend to harm you.” 

The warning marked a building in the town which the military said was being used by Hezbollah, and instructed residents to leave the building and maintain a distance of at least 300 meters (approximately 985 feet). 

“Remaining in the area of the building marked in red puts you at risk,” the statement said. 

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى مواطني لبنان وتحديدًا سكان عربصاليم

🔸 في أعقاب الانتهاك الصارخ لاتفاق وقف إطلاق النار من قبل تنظيم حزب الله الإرهابي، بعد إطلاق مسيّرة مفخخة باتجاه قوات جيش الدفاع، فإن نشاط حزب الله الإرهابي يُجبر جيش الدفاع على العمل ضده بقوة. جيش الدفاع لا ينوي المساس… pic.twitter.com/vnogcixHUH

— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) September 6, 2026

According to reports in Lebanese media, one of the targets of the Israeli airstrikes was the Ghandour Hospital in the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. 

🔴غارة إسرائيلية تُدمّر مستشفى غندور في بلدة النبطية الفوقا بالكامل صباح اليوم، مع الإشارة إلى أن المستشفى كان خالياً من المرضى والموظفين pic.twitter.com/idsrsFZbN2

— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) September 6, 2026

Reports on Israeli television said the hospital was being used by Hezbollah forces, much the same as Hamas forces have been documented using hospitals in the Gaza Strip to store weapons, protect personnel, and even for planning attacks. 

As of Sunday morning, the IDF had not officially commented on the strike on the Ghandour Hospital. 

The strikes Sunday morning were the second such response to attempted drone attacks on IDF soldiers in the past couple days. 

Early Saturday morning, the IDF also struck Hezbollah sites after the terror organization  launched a drone at Israeli soldiers operating inside the security zone in southern Lebanon on Friday evening. 

צה"ל לא יאפשר לארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לפגוע באזרחי מדינת ישראל ובכוחותיו, וימשיך לפעול להסרת איומים ולהיות מחויב להסכם הפסקת האש pic.twitter.com/3VQlWHDslO

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 5, 2026

“The IDF will not allow the terrorist organization Hezbollah to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and its forces, and will continue to operate to remove threats and remain committed to the ceasefire agreement,” the military said in a statement. 

Israeli security officials told Hebrew media that the drone launches were most likely intended to delay the IDF’s destruction of Hezbollah infrastructure in the area, following the capture of the the Ali al-Taher Ridge over the weekend. 

The military described the tunnel infrastructure there as being equivalent to its own Kiryah underground headquarters in Tel Aviv, saying it was used for planning attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers, and had a large number of rooms for housing combatants, as well as command and control rooms. 

According to Arab news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat, Hezbollah decided to abandon the Ali Taher position in southern Lebanon to the IDF without any political concessions, rather than hand it over to the Lebanese Army. 

A source familiar with the situation told the outlet that this arrangement allows Hezbollah to maintain its weapons north of the Litani River under the pretext of “fighting the occupation.” 

The terror group reportedly received the instruction to abandon the facilities from Tehran, rather than risk a greater confrontation at this time. 

Iran had claimed that if Israel struck the Ali al-Taher Ridge, it would respond by attacking the Jewish State. 

Hezbollah did not immediately respond to the IDF announcement that it had captured the Ali al-Taher Ridge, it released a statement attacking the Lebanese government for its “wrong choices and its conciliatory and submissive approach.” 

The Hezbollah statement said the government’s policy has only served to “entrench the occupation and perpetuate the enemy's aggression.” 

After the verbal attack on the government, a ministerial source in the government told Asharq Al-Awsat, “It's regrettable that this rhetoric continues to blame the government, while everyone knows who dragged the country into this war, and in whose service they did so.”