by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a broad wave of strikes Thursday evening against Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon, escalating its campaign against the Iranian-backed terror group’s Radwan Force.
“The IDF has begun a wave of strikes targeting military sites of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon,” the army confirmed in a statement.
The strikes began about an hour after the military issued urgent evacuation orders to residents of several towns, including Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, and Dibbin. Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, warned civilians: “You are located in buildings used by the Hezbollah terrorist group. For your safety, you are required to evacuate these structures and adjacent buildings immediately and stay away from them for a distance of at least 500 meters.”
According to the IDF, at least six weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force were destroyed. The Radwan Force, long tasked with executing Hezbollah’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan, has been rebuilding its arsenal after key commanders were killed in Beirut during Operation Northern Arrows last September.
The military emphasized that the targeted depots had been deliberately embedded in densely populated neighborhoods, a hallmark of Hezbollah’s tactic of using civilians as human shields. Videos circulating online showed unmarked residential buildings erupting with secondary explosions, confirming hidden weapons caches inside.
In addition to the strikes in Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, and Dibbin, the IDF issued further evacuation orders for Tair Zebna and Borj Qalaouiye, where additional airstrikes are expected.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials announced earlier Thursday that Hussein Saifo Sharif, a senior Hezbollah arms dealer operating out of Baalbek, northeast of Beirut, had been eliminated. Sharif allegedly directed terrorists in Syria to carry out attacks against Israel, in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of hostilities.
“This activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said, vowing to “continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”
The latest escalation follows a series of targeted strikes this week. On Monday, the IDF hit a Hezbollah headquarters in Nabatieh, and earlier that day eliminated a Hezbollah operative in Yater, just two miles from Israel’s northern border. On Sunday, Muhammad Ali Yassin, a senior Hezbollah figure involved in weapons production, was killed in Nabatieh.
The Upper Galilee Regional Council notified residents that no changes had been made to civilian defense guidelines, but warned that “explosions will be heard in the Galilee and Golan Heights.”
The confrontation remains tense months after the collapse of a truce on Feb. 18. Hezbollah resumed attacks against Israel immediately after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre. While Israel has withdrawn most of its ground troops from Lebanon, it still holds five strategic positions in the south, insisting they will remain under IDF control until the Lebanese Armed Forces prove capable of ensuring security.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said last week that Beirut’s army will disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon within three months, though Israeli officials remain skeptical.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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