The IDF carried out a series of airstrikes Saturday in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Gaza City, including a targeted killing in the Rimal neighborhood, as exchanges of fire continued on both fronts.
The IDF said northern command units and the air force struck several recently identified Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. Additional strikes in the Bekaa Valley targeted two military sites used by the terrorist group, where the IDF said it detected armed operatives, weapons depots and other military structures.
IDF strikes in Lebanon
(Video: IDF)
Lebanese media outlets reported casualties from the strikes. Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said 16 strikes were carried out in the Bekaa area alone. Other reports claimed an Israeli drone hit a vehicle near the village of Majdal Selm in the south.
The Lebanese army said its commander, Gen. Rudolphe Hage, convened senior officers on the country’s independence day and expressed hope that “all occupied Lebanese lands will be liberated.” He said the army’s deployment plan for the area south of the Litani River was advancing on schedule and repeated Lebanon’s stated commitment to the ceasefire.
In Gaza City, Palestinian reports said an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in Rimal, killing Abu Abdullah al Hadidi, described as the operations chief in the weapons procurement network of Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades. Four others were reported killed. Residents in Deir al Balah said they saw heavy drone activity in the area.
Later reports from central Gaza claimed an Israeli drone struck the Al Awda Hospital complex in Nuseirat. In a separate incident in Deir al Balah, a home belonging to a Palestinian family was hit, with casualties reported.
IDF forces kill terrorist firing on troops in Gaza
(Video: IDF)
The IDF said its forces killed an armed terrorist who drove across the designated “yellow line” on a humanitarian route in southern Gaza and opened fire at troops. Calling it a “blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the IDF said it responded with strikes against Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip, directed by southern command with intelligence support from the Shin Bet and military intelligence.
The IDF later reported that three additional terrorists were killed east of Rafah during searches by a Nahal Brigade combat team in a tunnel zone. The military said the terrorists were likely operatives who had emerged a day earlier from underground routes in eastern Rafah and attempted to hide.
In two additional incidents in northern Gaza, the IDF said forces identified four terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached troops, posing an immediate threat. Air force units and ground troops opened fire, killing two of them.