IDF strikes Hezbollah vehicles carrying weapons in first strike north of Litani River since ceasefire began

Smoke billows after an Israel air raid targeting Hezbollah somewhere in the area near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. Photo: Reuters

Despite the extension of the ceasefire until Feb. 18, the situation on Israel’s border with Lebanon remains extraordinarily tense.

On Tuesday evening, Israel hit targets north of the Litani River for the first time since the ceasefire began, following two days of deadly clashes between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops and Lebanese civilians that were instigated by Hezbollah .

The IDF said airstrikes hit a “Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle that transferred weapons in the area of Chaqif and Nabatiyeh.” Both vehicles had been monitored for some time before they were struck, the military added.

At least 24 people were wounded by the strikes, according to Lebanese reports.

“The IDF is determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens,” the army declared.

Throughout the original 60 days of the ceasefire, Israel repeatedly complained about Hezbollah attempting to move weapons in southern Lebanon, while the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) was slow in its planned deployment in the region.

The unusual strike north of the Litani River, which marks the southern limit of Hezbollah’s deployment under the ceasefire agreement, followed dozens of similar strikes south of the Litani since the ceasefire began.

This week, British newspaper The Times reported that dozens of LAF officers leaked intelligence to Hezbollah, enabling the terror group to evade Israeli raids and keep weapon stores from being discovered.

The strikes on Tuesday came after two days of deadly clashes between IDF soldiers and crowds of Lebanese civilians ignoring warnings and trying to enter areas the Israeli army continues to hold.

On Monday, two people were killed and 17 wounded, Lebanese authorities said, after 22 were killed and over 130 wounded the day before.

In response to the clashes, the IDF decided to transfer two Border Police companies from Judea and Samaria, which are trained and experienced in hostile crowd control, to the Lebanese border to be prepared for similar future incidents.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Monday that Israel would “firmly enforce” the ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon. “Anyone who breaks the rules or threatens IDF troops will bear the full price,” he vowed.

After the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon expired on Sunday, the White House declared on Monday morning that an extension of three weeks had been agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon.

However, it remains unclear whether the true party to the agreement on the Lebanese side, which isn’t the Lebanese state but Hezbollah, is committed to the extension.

In a pre-recorded speech released after the extension was declared, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem demanded Israel should pull out of Lebanon, and threatened, “We won’t accept any excuses to extend one second or one day.”

“Any delay in the withdrawal is the responsibility of the United Nations, the US, France and Israel,” he added, referring to the partners in the ceasefire enforcement mechanism, which is meant to address violations of the terms.

Qassem said that the “resistance,” meaning Hezbollah, has the right to respond to the “occupation” in the way it sees fit.

Meanwhile, the LAF in recent days showed signs of living up to its responsibilities under the ceasefire agreement, after Israel repeatedly criticized its performance in recent weeks.

An IDF official told the newspaper Maariv that the LAF has made an effort to tamp down Hezbollah’s attempts to incite clashes with IDF soldiers.

“The Lebanese army understands the situation. We see that it has entered into activity, and it is preventing civilians from approaching IDF positions,” a source told Maariv.

تقع في جنوب #لبنان.. وسائل إعلام لبنانية تكشف عن تسلم الجيش اللبناني منشأة عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله #العربية pic.twitter.com/j2QscuCYzs

— العربية (@AlArabiya) January 28, 2025

In possibly its most significant move of the last months, the LAF took control of a massive underground missile facility of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, according to a report by Al Arabiya.

However, the facility was empty when the LAF soldiers arrived to take over.

حزب الله : عماد 4 الصواريخ الدقيقة pic.twitter.com/4WycSBK7KO

— Leb Now (@leb_now) August 16, 2024

The Saudi news outlet released footage from inside the facility, which is said to be the same facility that Hezbollah dubbed “Imad 4” and showed off in a propaganda video last August.

The report doesn’t specify where the facility is located, or whether it was attacked by the IDF during the preceding months of war.

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