Tel Aviv, May 3 (ANI) — The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Sunday it killed two armed Hezbollah fighters operating south of the Forward Defence Line after they posed an imminent threat to Israeli troops. The IDF added that further suspects located inside structures in the same area were struck and neutralised in a later strike.
In posts and video updates on X, IDF spokespeople said operations south of the defence line are continuing with the aim of removing threats to Israeli forces. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s spokesperson to Arab media, posted that the military remains active in the area and provided footage of ongoing operations.
Adraee also said the IDF carried out multiple strikes over the weekend against Hezbollah-linked targets. He said roughly 70 buildings used for Hezbollah military purposes and about 50 pieces of affiliated infrastructure across several locations were destroyed. Targets named by the military included command headquarters from which attacks were launched, a weapons depot, military buildings and other infrastructure used to plan or support operations against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.
Hezbollah, a Shiite movement based in Lebanon that has fought Israel since the 1980s, is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States, Israel, Canada, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Tensions have escalated politically as well as militarily. On April 27, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem reiterated the group’s refusal to enter direct negotiations with Israel, defended armed resistance to what he called Israeli aggression and said the organisation would not give up its weapons. He criticised the Lebanese government’s diplomatic stance and advocated indirect talks rather than direct negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 26 that the ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon was being undermined by Hezbollah and warned that Israel would use force to secure the northern border, saying the IDF remained actively engaged.
The recent uptick in activity followed a U.S. announcement on April 23 of a three-week extension to a ceasefire arrangement. The U.S. said it would work with Lebanon to strengthen its ability to resist Hezbollah’s influence.
This report is based on a syndicated ANI feed and is published as received.
