IDF responds to Hezbollah rocket fire, strikes 85 terrorist sites across Lebanon

The IDF struck at least 85 Hezbollah terrorist sites across Lebanon in the past 24 hours, the IDF stated on Saturday. The Israeli military strikes were a response to Hezbollah’s rocket fire towards Israeli soldiers stationed in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military, using both air and ground forces, struck multiple Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, terrorist infrastructure, and rocket launchers used by the group against Israeli soldiers and civilians. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) also targeted underground sites in the Beqaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border. The IDF said the subterranean facilities were used for the production of weapons employed in attacks against Israeli civilians and troops.

On Friday, the IDF announced that one Israeli soldier was severely injured and two others were moderately wounded in two separate Hezbollah drone attacks on troops in southern Lebanon. The three wounded soldiers were evacuated to Israel for medical treatment, and their families were notified.

Earlier this week, the Israeli military said it had eliminated Hezbollah commander Malek Balout in a strike in Beirut, according to Israeli statements. Balout, who headed the militant group’s elite Radwan Force, was described by Israeli officials as responsible for planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. The strike marked the most senior Hezbollah figure killed in Beirut since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in April.

The killing came amid ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Washington and Tehran to find a potential settlement to the wider conflict, which began with coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “no terrorist has immunity; the long arm of Israel will reach every enemy and murderer. We promised to bring security to the residents of the north. This is how we act and this is how we will continue to act!”