Israeli army launches ‘special, targeted' operations in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

The Israeli army said Wednesday that its forces launched “special, targeted” operations into southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement.

A military statement said that troops from its 91st Division began what it called “special, targeted operations” to dismantle Hezbollah's fighters and military infrastructure in the region.

The army claimed that the operations were launched after identifying Hezbollah weaponry and underground storage sites in several areas along the border.

According to the statement, Israeli forces dismantled what the army said was “a compound containing weapons depots and firing positions” belonging to Hezbollah in the area of Jabal Blat mountain in southern Lebanon.

The army also claimed that its forces had confiscated weapons hidden in the Labbouneh area in the south and dismantled another underground facility used for weapon storage.

According to Lebanon's state news agency NNA, Israeli drones flew over the capital, Beirut, and its southern suburbs.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Lebanese authorities on the Israeli statement.

Cross-border warfare between Israel and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon escalated into a full-scale war last September. Despite a November ceasefire, Israeli forces have carried out near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Since then, Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 236 people and injuries to more than 540.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply.

Until now, Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.