Illustrative image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Hezbollah on April 20 took responsibility for an explosive device that detonated on an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) armored vehicle in southern Lebanon a day earlier.
In a statement, the group said that a convoy of eight Israeli armored vehicles driving between Taybeh and Deir Siryan was hit by a “series of explosive devices planted earlier” previously planted by its members. It claimed that four Merkava main battle tanks were destroyed.
The IDF said in response that one armored vehicle was “likely hit by an explosive device,” and that no injuries were caused. It added that the incident is being investigated.
The incident came three days into a ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon that was announced by United States President Donald Trump.
This was not, however, the first such incident. An Israeli reservist was killed, and three other soldiers were wounded after being hit by an explosive device planted by Hezbollah members in the town of Jebbayn in southern Lebanon on the very first day of the ceasefire.
The IDF continued to launch strikes after the ceasefire came into effect. On April 20, it said that it struck a primed Hezbollah rocket launcher north of its “forward defense line” in southern Lebanon overnight, also known as the Yellow Line.
The loaded launcher in the Qalaouiyah area “posed an immediate threat to IDF troops and Israeli citizens,” the military said in a statement.
In another statement, the IDF said that it killed several Hezbollah operatives who “violated the ceasefire understandings” and posed a threat to troops in southern Lebanon.
Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade spotted several Hezbollah members in the town of Bint Jbeil, which is located in the IDF-held security zone.
The military said that the operatives “approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat” in two separate incidents, and a short while later, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) “struck and eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat.”
In another incident, troops of the Golani Brigade spotted several Hezbollah members near the Litani River. According to the IDF, the members “operated within the forward defensive line area, and approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat.” A short while after the operatives were identified, the military said that the IAF “struck and eliminated the terrorists.”
In addition to these strikes, the IDF once again warned Lebanese civilians against returning to their towns in southern Lebanon.
“During the ceasefire agreement, the IDF continues to remain deployed in its positions in southern Lebanon in the face of the ongoing terror activity of Hezbollah,” said military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee in a post on X.
He listed dozens of villages where civilians cannot return. “In addition, do not approach the Litani River area, Wadi al-Salhani, and Saluki,” Adraee added.
Besides the strikes, Haaretz reported that the IDF is moving ahead with the destruction of many buildings in southern Lebanon.
Several IDF commanders told the Israeli daily that civilian homes, public buildings and schools are being systematically razed as part of a policy to “clear the area,” which is currently part of the buffer zone created by the Israeli military inside Lebanon.
Despite this escalation, a second round of ambassador-level peace talks between Israel and Lebanon is set to be held in the U.S. later in the week.
While the attack could advance plans for a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, a peace agreement remains highly unlikely. In fact, any serious push in this direction could easily spark a civil war in Lebanon, as Hezbollah and many other parties in the country will not accept normalization.
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zionist diaper lovers continue to fertilize southern lebanon and leave scrap metal everwhere.