Israeli warplanes struck deep into Lebanon overnight, targeting Hezbollah strongholds and elite Radwan Force compounds roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Israeli border, the IDF said Tuesday, marking an unusually extensive wave of airstrikes.
The military said the strikes were carried out by the Air Force in coordination with Military Intelligence and the Northern Command, focusing on training camps and weapons depots used by Hezbollah operatives. Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the Bekaa Valley in footage circulated on Lebanese media.
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley
The IDF said the targeted sites were used to train Hezbollah fighters for operations against Israel, including live-fire exercises and weapons handling. The Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s elite unit, was specifically targeted. The military said the unit had long spearheaded plans to invade northern Israel—a strategy exposed over the course of the war.
Israeli officials noted that Radwan commanders were killed in Beirut and southern Lebanon in September 2024 during Operation Northern Arrows. Since then, the group has been attempting to rebuild its capabilities, the IDF said, adding that recent strikes aimed to prevent its resurgence.
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“The storage of weapons and the activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization at these sites constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and constitute a future threat to the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement. “The IDF continues to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel and will prevent the reestablishment of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes send a clear message to both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government. “We will strike every terrorist and thwart every threat to northern residents and the State of Israel,” he said, “and respond with maximum force to any attempt at regrouping.”
The IDF also confirmed a separate strike Monday on vehicles in southern Syria, between As-Sijn and Samie near Suweida, where heavy clashes have erupted in recent days between Druze and Bedouin factions. Reports indicate around 90 fatalities in the fighting.
The airstrike came amid ongoing negotiations over a potential security agreement between Israel and the new Syrian government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Last week, the IDF released footage of previous operations that destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including arms depots and an underground compound north of the Israeli town of Shlomi. It was the first official acknowledgment in months of Israeli ground operations inside Lebanon, which the IDF described as “special and targeted.”
The military said the 91st Division, now solely responsible for securing the Lebanon border, continues to intercept terrorists and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure based on intelligence and real-time surveillance. These operations aim to prevent the Shiite terrorist group from reestablishing a foothold in southern Lebanon.