IDF pummels Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold

Dozens of IRGC officers have fled Beirut over the past 48 hours, fearing they could be targeted.

By Charles Bybelezer, JNS

The Israeli Air Force conducted a broad wave of overnight strikes in Beirut, targeting Hezbollah terror infrastructure, the military said Friday morning.

The strikes hit terror command centers, multi-story buildings, and a facility storing UAVs used by Hezbollah for attacks against Israel.

Before the strikes, measures were taken to minimize civilian harm, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

Earlier Thursday, the IDF issued an “urgent” warning for some residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to immediately evacuate their homes to “save your lives.”

Since the start of the operation in Lebanon, the IDF has carried out 26 waves of strikes in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Also Thursday, two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were injured while battling Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the military said.

A combat soldier in the Givati Brigade was seriously wounded, while another soldier sustained moderate injuries. Both were evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, and their families were notified.

Two additional Israeli troops were moderately wounded by anti-tank fire while fighting the Iranian-backed terrorist proxy in Lebanon on Wednesday.

IDF soldiers have been deployed across Lebanon’s south as part of a “robust forward defensive posture” in response to Hezbollah’s decision on Monday to join the war on behalf of Iran.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that ground forces had been authorized to advance and seize additional command areas in Lebanon to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities.

“We promised security for the Galilee communities, and that is what we will deliver,” Katz said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Navy on Thursday struck and killed Wasim Attallah Ali in the Tripoli area of Lebanon, the military announced.

He served as a Hamas terror commander responsible for training and exercises in Lebanon. This marked the first strike in the area since the beginning of Operation ‘Roaring Lion.’

The Israeli Navy is continuing to target terror assets in Lebanon, including Hezbollah infrastructure, while identifying and intercepting aerial threats launched towards Israel.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization chose to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime, and it will bear the consequences of its actions. The IDF will not allow harm to come to the residents of Israel and will continue to act to defend the State of Israel,” the military said.

Also on Thursday, the IDF reported that the Israeli Air Force struck and killed Zaid Ali Jumaa near Beirut the previous day. Jumaa was responsible for Hezbollah firepower management and served as head of artillery in Southern Lebanon.

In that role, he oversaw the launch of thousands of rockets, missiles and UAVs from Lebanese territory toward Israel. He previously held several key positions within Hezbollah and participated in fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

Jumaa led the Jan. 28, 2015, attack against IDF troops in the Mount Dov area, during which Hezbollah terrorists fired an anti-tank missile that killed two soldiers of the Givati Brigade, Maj. Yohai (Juha) Klengel and Staff Sgt. Dor Haim Nini.

IDF troops from the 91st “Galilee” Division have been operating in the eastern part of Southern Lebanon; the 146th Reserve Division is deployed to the west; and the 210th “Bashan” Division is stationed in the Mount Dov area. The deployment consists of infantry, armored brigades and engineering soldiers operating together.

Soldiers are tasked with providing an additional layer of defense for the residents of northern Israel, preventing “any emerging threats,” and stopping any attempt to infiltrate the Jewish state.

The decision to bolster the military’s presence in Lebanon came amid fears that the Radwan Force—the elite Hezbollah terrorists trained to invade the Jewish state—could attack, Israel’s Channel 12 News broadcaster reported on Wednesday night.

The expanded ground operations came after the IDF on Wednesday ordered all Lebanese to evacuate north of the Litani River.

“The activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization are forcing the Israel Defense Forces to act against it with force. The IDF does not intend to harm you,” said Col. Avichay Adraee from the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, in a notice posted to X.

“Any home used by Hezbollah for military purposes may be subject to targeting,” he said. “Any movement southward may endanger your life.”

In parallel with ground operations, the IDF hit “dozens” of Hezbollah targets from the air, the military said overnight Wednesday.

Among the targets struck were “numerous Hezbollah rocket and missile launch sites located south of the Litani River,” including a factory for producing attack drones.

The Lebanese government announced new measures on Thursday to curb the influence of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with Beirut’s Cabinet ordering a halt to any IRGC activity in the country and full implementation of a previous decision to disarm Hezbollah, MTV Lebanon reported.

Axios reported that dozens of IRGC officers have fled Beirut over the past 48 hours, fearing they could be targeted, citing two senior Israeli defense officials and a third source familiar with the situation.

The officers were mostly members of the elite Quds Force serving as military advisers to Hezbollah.

“We expect the IRGC exodus from Lebanon to continue over the next several days,” an Israeli defense official was quoted as saying.