The IDF struck three Hezbollah command centers in the Nabatieh and Mayfadoun areas overnight, in response to ongoing ceasefire violations. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated the IDF will not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, and that no further withdrawals beyond the two pilot zones are expected.
The IDF struck three Hezbollah command centers in the Nabatieh and Mayfadoun areas overnight Sunday, the military confirmed at Mon 09:53 Jerusalem, targeting positions used to direct attacks on Israeli forces in the Security Zone. Earlier in the day, soldiers dismantled a launcher Hezbollah had been using to fire on Israeli troops. Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a briefing published Monday evening, said the IDF will not withdraw from the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed — a policy he stated has U.S. backing and is anchored in the latest Israel-Lebanon framework agreement. Katz added that Israel asked the Lebanese Army to clear Hezbollah from the Ali Taher Ridge tunnel complex, but Lebanon refused, leaving the IDF in place while about 30 Hezbollah operatives remain inside.
The overnight strikes follow a thread of IDF operations against Hezbollah since early Sunday. At Mon 09:53 Jerusalem, the military confirmed the strikes (versions 1–5 of this story), initially citing continued ceasefire violations that included the killing of Capt. David Hazut — though the precise sequence of violations and casualties evolved across the thread, with early versions linking the strikes specifically to Hazut's death, while later versions framed them as a broader response to ongoing attacks. The Multidimensional Unit's destruction of a Hezbollah launcher was also reported at that time. Later Monday, Katz's evening briefing expanded on the operational picture: he claimed nearly all villages along the line of contact in western and central sectors were destroyed, and that 600,000 residents fled southern Lebanese border villages. He also asserted that U.S. pressure linking the Lebanon and Iran fronts forced Israel to halt wider strikes in Beirut, shifting operations north of the Litani River under what he called "Plan B," and warned that Israel is prepared to strike Iran independently within days if Tehran retaliates.
As The Zioneer reported at Mon 18:16 Jerusalem, Katz detailed strategic friction with the Trump administration over the linkage of the Lebanon and Iran fronts — a theme further contextualized by earlier reporting: on Thu Jun 18, 17:25 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Netanyahu's rejection of withdrawal pressure as the IDF eliminated 100 operatives in response to ceasefire violations; on Fri Jun 19, 12:30 Jerusalem, the desk reported IDF strikes on over 80 targets in the Bekaa Valley after four soldiers were killed; and on Sun Jun 7, 15:22 Jerusalem, the desk covered an earlier IDF strike on Hezbollah command centers in Beirut's Dahieh. Katz's Monday comments also touched on Iran, warning of Israeli readiness to strike Tehran independently within days if Iran launches ballistic missiles in retaliation for operations in Lebanon.
What remains unverified: Katz's assertion that 600,000 residents fled southern Lebanese border villages and his claim that the tunnel complex on Ali Taher Ridge still holds 30 Hezbollah operatives have not been independently confirmed. His statements that U.S. pressure directly forced a shift to "Plan B" and that Israeli forces may strike Iran independently within days are attributed to his briefing alone, with no on-the-record confirmation from U.S. or Iranian officials. The precise number of Hezbollah command centers struck overnight and the extent of damage also rely solely on IDF accounts.
6 developments
- StrongIDF eliminates six Hezbollah terrorists at Ali al-Taher Ridge; Katz warns Iran
- StrongIDF maintains strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon
- StrongIDF strikes two Hezbollah headquarters in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley
- StrongNetanyahu: IDF to stay in southern Lebanon as long as needed; 300 Hezbollah targets struck in two days
Source and signal
- Internal intake