IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons caches, exposes rebuilding efforts amid increasing fears of new escalation in southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck several Hezbollah targets and exposed the terror group’s efforts to rebuild its infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, amid increasing warnings that the growing tensions could soon lead to a new escalation between Israel and the terror group.

Egypt’s ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, said on Thursday that the disarmament of Hezbollah, as per the terms of the ceasefire signed almost exactly a year ago, is “inevitable” and shouldn’t be a matter of debate.

Speaking with Lebanese television channel Al-Jadeed, Moussa warned, “If the situation continues as it is, the possibility of a wide-scale escalation is near.”

On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes hit “several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah's rocket unit,” the IDF stated, noting that, as is so often true, “these weapon storage facilities were located in the heart of the civilian population.”

❌Blatant Ceasefire Violation: Hezbollah Terrorist Organization Is Operating To Reestablish Its Assets in the Village of Beit Lif

IDF troops identified dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites in the village, including:
•Headquarters
•Weapons storage facilities⁰belonging to… pic.twitter.com/MXz1tMgYzE

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2025

The military also published a video exposing dozens of Hezbollah sites hidden in the village of Beit Lif, located some 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Israeli border.

The IDF said that Hezbollah “has been working to rebuild its capabilities in the village of Beit Lif in southern Lebanon, in a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

The sites include headquarters and weapons storage facilities, some of them “inside the civilian homes of the village’s residents and adjacent to civilian buildings and facilities,” like mosques, schools, and even a UNIFIL base.

🎯STRUCK: Several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah's rocket unit in the heart of a civilian population in southern Lebanon.

This is yet another example of Hezbollah's cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields and constitutes a violation of the… pic.twitter.com/Dj2dJmHpLq

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2025

The IDF also stressed that “some of the targets in the village were transferred in recent months through the mechanism for implementing the understandings and were not addressed.”

Israel has increased its strikes against Hezbollah in recent weeks as the group has accelerated the restoration of its military capabilities, despite the Lebanese government’s ostensible efforts to disarm it.

A recent UN report confirmed that both the IDF and Hezbollah have ramped up their operations along the border throughout the year, warning that “limited engagements could escalate quickly” without a political arrangement.

Further concerns were stoked in Israel when a Lebanese official said this week that  Hezbollah has a “right” to rearm, according to The Media Line.

The report cited a Lebanese political analyst only identified as “Azzam,” who explained that this should be interpreted as posturing for an internal audience and that the government remains committed to disarming the terror group.

“Figures like President [Joseph] Aoun and Prime Minister [Nawaf] Salam have made it clear that Hezbollah’s arms must eventually fall under state authority – through gradual, negotiated mechanisms, not abrupt confrontation,” he explained.

He added that a recent complaint by Lebanon at the UN, alleging that a new concrete barrier Israel is building on the border encroaches on Lebanese territory, is meant to shift the narrative toward Israel being the main violator of the ceasefire.

Beirut seeks to exploit this to pressure Israel into agreeing on proposed frameworks for security arrangements, including border demarcation, mutual guarantees, and a phased disarmament.

However, Azzam stressed that “Israel would not approve any of this without what it considers a strategic solution to the Hezbollah problem in the north.”

“This status quo serves all sides – while still being a ticking time bomb,” he warned.

Want to help more people find our reporting from Israel? Leave a quick Google review of our website here.