Israel hits alleged Hezbollah weapons smuggling sites in Syria
Israeli military jets hit alleged Hezbollah weapons smuggling sites near the border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, according to officials, who allege the Lebanese militant group violated a ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli Air Force said the fighter jet attack took place early Saturday following the identification of the cross-border transfer of weapons from Syria to Lebanon. They said the activity in the region constituted a threat to Israel and a violation of the ceasefire that took effect earlier this week.
The attack comes shortly after Syrian rebels made significant advancements against President Bashar al-Assad and breached the city of Allepo in a surprise offensive, putting the region’s stability in more peril.
The truce between Israel and Hezbollah was brokered by the U.S. and France. It put a temporary halt to over a year of consistent fighting between the two sides since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza.
Terms of the pause in fighting required Israeli forces to slowly withdraw service members from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah retreated further north. Lebanese security forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces were put in charge of patrolling the area in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire, however, still permits Israel’s military to act in case of a direct threat.
Israeli military’s “raid” of a vehicle in Lebanon’s village of Majdal Zone injured three people, including a seven-year-old, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Saturday.
Hezbollah jumped into the conflict with Israel last year in support of Hamas, after the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 hostages.
In response, Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The tally does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
In recent months, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict has escalated, with the Israeli military killing many of the Lebanese militant group’s top officials, including leader Hassan Nasrallah and launching a ground invasion in October.
Over 3,700 people have been killed in the fighting, according to Lebanese health ministry.