Hezbollah terrorists fired an explosive-laden drone at an Israel Defense Forces engineering vehicle overnight Tuesday, an attack the IDF said amounted to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement with Beirut.
According to an IDF statement, the suicide drone was aimed at a military vehicle operating in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area, located within the Israeli-controlled security zone in Southern Lebanon.
The military said no Israeli soldiers were wounded in the attack.
“This incident constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon by the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the IDF said. “IDF soldiers continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists in the area to advance or execute attacks against IDF soldiers.”
Earlier Wednesday, the IDF said its forces had confiscated dozens of weapons in Southern Lebanon in recent days during continuing operations against Hezbollah inside the security zone.
The seized weapons included Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, explosive devices, ammunition and additional military equipment, the army said, adding that the searches were focused on Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.
In a separate incident, the military said Israeli troops opened fire on a suspect who approached an IDF post in the Ras Bayada area “in a manner that posed a threat to them.”
The soldiers first fired warning shots, but after the suspect failed to comply with repeated orders to stop, they fired to neutralize the threat, according to the IDF. The suspected terrorist’s condition was not immediately clear.
The announcement came after the IDF last week confirmed the launch of a “Safe Zone” pilot program in Southern Lebanon that will see Israeli troops redeploy from designated areas.
The US State Department said that the Lebanese military launched its first operations to take over control of villages near the Israeli security zone in Lebanon.
“Pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” stated State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
The three villages straddle the Litani River at the edge of the security area that the IDF established to combat Hezbollah.
