Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is continuing to strike Hezbollah “with force, precision and determination,” saying an overnight operation in Beirut killed a close aide to the group’s leader and that the military also struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
“In Beirut, we eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and one of the people closest to him,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli airstrike on building used by Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF)
He said the IDF also struck a series of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon overnight, including crossings used to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets and launchers, as well as weapons depots, launch sites and command centers.
“Our message is clear: Whoever acts against Israeli civilians will be hit,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue striking Hezbollah wherever required until we restore full security to the residents of the north.”
Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded repeatedly in and around the northern city of Kiryat Shmona from the morning onward due to unceasing fire from Lebanon.
The IDF said 162nd Division troops were continuing targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon.
As part of the operations, 401st Brigade troops located a shaft leading to an underground tunnel from which a terrorist emerged and was killed in close-quarters combat, the military said. Troops later entered the shaft and found a cache of weapons, including explosives, rockets, an RPG launcher and grenades.
In additional operations, the military said, troops dismantled several Hezbollah staging positions where more weapons were found.
The military also said 215th Fire Brigade troops killed more than 70 terrorists, including a cell that it said had been planning to fire mortars at Israeli forces.
In another incident, troops identified two terrorists entering a building used by Hezbollah, the military said. The Israeli Air Force then struck the building at the troops’ direction, killing both enemies.
The military said troops also dismantled Hezbollah anti-tank launch positions, observation posts and command centers.
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Hezbollah weapons and supplies found by Israeli troops during southern Lebanon operations
(Photo: IDF)
At the same time, Nahal Brigade troops located a large quantity of weapons and dismantled dozens of terrorist sites, including anti-tank positions aimed at forces operating in the area.
In a separate statement, the military said that it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, whom it identified as the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in a strike Wednesday in Beirut.
The military described Harshi as a close associate and personal adviser to Qassem who played a central role in managing and securing his office.
The army also said that overnight it struck two key crossings used by Hezbollah field operatives and commanders moving from north to south of the Litani River to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets and launchers.
In addition, it said, about 10 weapons storage facilities, launchers and command centers used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon were struck.