IDF Chief Says Israel Has ‘No Restrictions’ in Targeting Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon as Clashes Intensify

There are no restrictions for Israel when it comes to dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and “killing terrorists” in southern Lebanon, the IDF chief said as the shaky ceasefire saw several people killed on both sides this week. Addressing Israeli soldiers in the area of the town of A-Taybeh in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, IDF chief Eyal Zamir clarified that the army is not “ceasing fire. You will continue to operate, remove direct and indirect threats from the northern communities, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, locate and eliminate terrorists.”“Any threat, anywhere, to our communities or our troops — including beyond the Forward Defense Line and north of the Litani — will be dismantled… At this stage, we are not advancing beyond the Forward Defense Line, but we will continue to operate and remove threats freely,” he added, referring to the zone in southern Lebanon controlled by the army. Both IDF and Hezbollah increased their attacks in recent days, leading to several people killed on both sides. On Wednesday, a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli attack in the town of Khirbet Selm, outside of the Israeli-controlled zone. Another five Hezbollah members were killed by the Israeli Air Force in a different incident. An Israeli civilian contractor working for the Defence Ministry, 44-year-old Amer Hujirat, was killed by a Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon on Monday, as he was helping clear infrastructure built by the terror group. The attack, which took place near Bint Jbeil where Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in deadly face-to-face combats in recent weeks, comes just days after an Israeli soldier was killed by another Hezbollah drone. On Tuesday, the IDF released footage of two Hezbollah tunnels with a combined length of over two kilometers in the Qantara area about 10 kilometers from the Israeli border.The army destroyed the tunnels, which had more than 30 rooms and 30 shafts, using more than 450 tons of explosives. As part of a major cleanup of southern Lebanon, the army said it destroyed more than 1,000 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, including booby-trapped buildings. The chief of staff of the IDF’s 226 Paratroopers Brigade, Colonel (reserve) “N”, told New York Sun that the army is going from house to house in southern Lebanon to confiscate weapons and look for tunnels. “Every structure near the border was used as part of Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure — we saw this with our own eyes. You walk into what looks like a normal home, move a bed, and find an underground terror tunnel full of weapons underneath,” Colonel “N” said. “They are using civilian areas — schools, mosques, homes — as bases for attacks. That is the reality on the ground. They have no red lines — they use ambulances, mosques, homes, whatever they can,” he added. The Lebanese government has heavily criticised Israel’s conduct in southern Lebanon, including the destruction of homes. But Israel insists that buildings they destroy are used by Hezbollah. “From the outside it may look harsh — but from here, it is a fight for our lives. This is not a luxury operation. It is immediately necessary to protect our civilians,” Colonel “N” said. Mr. Zamir reiterated that Israel won’t allow Hezbollah to exist along its borders: “We will not allow them to establish themselves—there is no containment, only determination. We will continue to remove threats wherever they emerge.”

IDF Chief Says Israel Has ‘No Restrictions’ in Targeting Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon as Clashes Intensify

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