IDF says over 250 Hezbollah fighters killed in Southern Lebanon ground offensive

More than 250 Hezbollah operatives have been killed during IDF operations in southern Lebanon since troops began a ground offensive there late Monday, according to the military.

The Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon have been described by the IDF as “limited, localized, and targeted raids,” with the goal of demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border area, especially in the villages adjacent to Israel, to enable residents of the north to return home.

Military officials have said that the IDF intends for the operations to end as quickly as possible, even within a few weeks.

Among the 250 Hezbollah fighters killed since Monday are at least 21 field commanders, according to the IDF, including five brigade-level commanders, 10 company commanders, and six platoon commanders.

The IDF’s 98th and 36th divisions are currently operating in several Lebanese villages close to the Israeli border, where the military says troops have located a large amount of weapons and infrastructure that Hezbollah left behind.

More than half a million Lebanese civilians have fled southern Lebanon, following IDF evacuation warnings, according to military assessments.

Troops have mostly come under anti-tank missile fire and mortar attacks amid the operations, though there have also been several close-quarters engagements.

In one incident yesterday, IDF paratroopers killed some 15 Hezbollah operatives who were spotted in buildings and tunnel shafts in a village in southern Lebanon. Only one soldier was wounded in the engagement.

The ground operations come simultaneously as Israel continues to carry out strikes on the terror group’s top commanders in the capital Beirut, capabilities across the country, and weapon shipments from Iran.

In southern Lebanon, amid the ground operations, more than 2,000 Hezbollah sites have been struck from the air, the IDF adds.