Several Hezbollah Radwan Force commandos surrendered and were captured by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, the IDF said Tuesday.
According to the military, troops from the Givati Brigade identified a group of armed operatives who were preparing to fire an anti-tank missile at Israeli forces and establish a launch position targeting communities in northern Israel.
IDF forces struck a building and detained armed Radwan Force terrorists in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF)
“During an operation to locate weapons in the area, troops identified several armed terrorists from Hezbollah’s Radwan Force who were planning to fire an anti-tank missile at the forces,” the IDF said. “The terrorists had also set up a firing position and were advancing plans to target northern communities.”
Shortly after being detected, the suspects surrendered and were taken into custody. Troops seized a large quantity of weapons and equipment and later destroyed the structure from which the operatives had been operating.
The IDF said the terrorists surrendered after recognizing the scale of Israeli military activity in the area, which is focused on dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.
Since the start of the war, hundreds of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force operatives have moved south to conduct defensive operations following the entry of Israeli troops into the area.
According to the military, much of the unit’s infrastructure and equipment, originally intended for an assault on northern Israeli communities, was destroyed in earlier operations.
The remaining operatives are now deployed in small cells within village areas, often avoiding direct engagements with Israeli forces.
The IDF has increasingly relied on heavy preparatory fire, including artillery and airstrikes, before ground maneuvers, a tactic drawn from its experience in Gaza.
The detainees were transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning.
Initial findings from the IDF’s Unit 504 interrogators indicate that the operatives arrived in southern Lebanon from the Beqaa Valley at the start of Operation Roaring Lion.
The military said this movement contradicts claims by the Lebanese Armed Forces that they have established operational control over the area south of the Litani River.
“This case once again demonstrates that the Lebanese army has failed to prevent the transfer of terrorists and weapons into the area south of the Litani,” the IDF said.
The IDF added that it continues targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon as part of its response to Hezbollah attacks, saying its actions are aimed at removing threats to Israeli civilians.