The IDF's 7th Armored Brigade, operating under the 36th Division, conducted targeted raids against Hezbollah terrorists and terror infrastructure over the past week, the military announced on Saturday.
As part of the raids, the brigade's combat team killed dozens of terrorists and dismantled dozens of terror infrastructure sites, including a weapons depot, command center, and observation posts belonging to Hezbollah terrorists, according to the military.
The IDF's Northern Command is also continuing with preparations to deploy additional soldiers to the Israel-Lebanon border in the coming week, following a directive by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, who ordered forces to intensify a targeted campaign against members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force following increased militant movement toward the border over the past week.
Soldiers from the Golani Brigade have also been deployed to the border, awaiting operational orders following a situational assessment, the military stated.
The IDF's deployment aims to provide "an additional layer of protection for the residents of northern Israel," the military said.
The military shared a recording of 7th Brigade chief Col. "S", saying that "We will strike the enemy with determination in order to push the threat away from our communities and to ensure the future of Israel. The residents are relying on us."
"Once again, we have been called up. After months of continuous combat in Gaza, we have been called to advance and operate against the enemy seeking to harm the residents of the North," he stated.
The IDF on Saturday expanded its ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as well as launching artillery fire into the area, according to military officials.
Military officials said the artillery barrage was intended to support expanded ground activity against Hezbollah units operating in southern Lebanon. Additional Israeli ground forces have been deployed in the area as part of the effort.
IDF conducts another wave of strikes in Lebanon
Also on Saturday, the IDF completed an additional wave of strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon.
According to an IDF statement, the military struck several Hezbollah launch sites in the Al-Qatrani area, from which Hezbollah operatives planned to launch rockets into Israel.
Additionally, the IDF struck and dismantled Hezbollah's Radwan Force command centers in Beirut, from which Hezbollah planned terror attacks against Israeli civilians, per the military's statement.
French proposal for Israel-Lebanon peace agreement includes recognition of Israel
Earlier on Saturday, Axios cited three sources familiar with the details, reporting that Lebanon has accepted a French proposal as a basis for peace talks with Israel, while Israel and the United States are still reviewing the framework.
The proposal reportedly aims to end the current war, secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and create a path toward unprecedented Lebanese recognition of Israel.
The reported framework comes as Israel prepares to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, with Israeli and US officials telling Axios that Jerusalem is weighing a push to seize the area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israel is planning a large-scale invasion of southern Lebanon in order to dismantle Hezbollah's assets south of the Litani River, Axios reported on Friday, citing Israeli and US officials.
According to the report, Israeli officials are planning an operation in which the military would seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure, which would be the largest one performed in Lebanon since the 2006 war.
"We are going to do what we did in Gaza," a senior Israeli official told Axios. According to the report, the offensive was planned after Hezbollah's attack against Israel, where more than 200 rockets were fired against the country in coordination with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Shir Perets, Tobias Holcman, and Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
