IDF strikes Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon after incident involving troops | LIVE BLOG
Military says overnight strikes targeted sites in Nabatieh and Ansar after Hezbollah incident on Ali al-Taher Ridge
The IDF said Saturday that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas of southern Lebanon overnight in response to what it described as Hezbollah action against Israeli troops on the Ali al-Taher Ridge. Lebanese state media said seven people were killed and three wounded in a strike on a home near Ansar, while reporting heavy Israeli strikes on the strategic ridge overlooking Nabatieh.
The strikes come as a fragile June ceasefire and US-brokered framework for Hezbollah’s disarmament and a phased Israeli withdrawal remain deadlocked. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Israeli forces would stay in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, after Washington warned that a permanent Israeli presence would violate the framework, while Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday again rejected the agreement and the group’s disarmament.