Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that following a 'heinous Hezbollah attack that is a blatant ceasefire violation,' he ordered the IDF to strike Hezbollah hard. The military hit over 80 terror targets and killed dozens of operatives, and struck Hezbollah command posts in the Bekaa this morning, Netanyahu said. He reiterated that Israel will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone as long as needed to protect northern communities.
On Friday, the IDF confirmed it had struck over 80 Hezbollah targets and killed dozens of operatives, following a deadly Hezbollah attack on an Israeli tank that killed four soldiers — including a battalion commander — overnight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from a security assessment at 09:20 Jerusalem, said he ordered the IDF to "hit Hezbollah with force," describing the earlier attack as a "blatant ceasefire violation." Netanyahu also announced morning strikes on Hezbollah command posts in the Bekaa Valley, reiterating that Israel will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone as long as needed to protect northern communities.
By 09:20 Jerusalem, the IDF had already reported striking over 80 targets and killing dozens of operatives in response to repeated Hezbollah ceasefire violations — a figure Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed in statements throughout the morning, first at 09:20 and again at 09:30 Jerusalem, emphasizing that any violation would be met with force. In the same time frame, the IDF disclosed that two of the strikes hit Hezbollah command headquarters in the Bekaa Valley while operatives were present, and that ground forces were operating to destroy strategic underground infrastructure in the Beaufort area. President Isaac Herzog, by 10:07 Jerusalem, mourned the fallen soldiers, noting that the 52nd Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, had taken command after his predecessor was severely wounded. The military's account of the scale and targets of the operation has been consistent across multiple Israeli government sources.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday, the larger context includes ongoing IDF ground operations in southern Lebanon focused on dismantling Hezbollah's underground infrastructure, and repeated Israeli warnings that ceasefire violations will be met with a heavy response. Netanyahu's statement formalized a policy of sustained military presence in the southern security zone for as long as required.
The full number of Hezbollah casualties, and precise details of the attack that killed the Israeli soldiers, have not been independently verified. The timeline and scope of the IDF's wave of strikes have come solely from Israeli official sources.
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