Preparing for new Iran war, Israel escalating Lebanon strikes to cripple Hezbollah - report - Sam Halpern

 

by Sam Halpern

According to Maariv, since the start of February, the IDF has killed 12 Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad terrorists in the country.

 

Flames and smoke errupt from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the southern Lebanese village of Tair Filsay on November 19, 2025.

(photo credit: COURTNEY BONNEAU/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The IDF has been escalating its strikes on terror targets in Lebanon in recent days in preparation for another round of war with Iran, N12 News reported on Monday evening.

According to the outlet, the military’s ramping up of attacks on these targets, which have seen strikes on Hezbollah’s operatives, rocket launchers, and weapons stores, has been part of an effort to cripple the terrorist organization’s ability to aid Iran in a potential conflict.

According to Maariv, since the start of February, the IDF has killed 12 Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad terrorists in the country.

On Monday, the IDF confirmed that, over the past week, the 91st Division had killed four Hezbollah terrorists who had been operating to reestablish the organization’s infrastructure in Lebanon.

The latest strike on one of the terrorists who had been operating to rehabilitate the terror group’s infrastructure occured earlier that day in the Tallouseh area of southern Lebanon.

Smoke billows over Kfar Tebnit after an Israeli strike near Lebanon’s border with Israel, in Lebanon, September 18, 2025. (credit: Illustration/REUTERS/Ali Hankir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

“As part of his role, [the terrorist] was responsible for the connection between the organization and the residents of the village on military and economic issues, and worked to seize private properties for terrorist purposes,” the IDF said at the time.

The military’s action marked the second terrorist it had killed in the country within a 12-hour period on Monday, the IDF noted.

IDF action comes amid Hezbollah ceasefire infractions

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in November of 2024 following an intensive Israeli military campaign triggered by Hezbollah attacks that began the day after the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

During the conflict, Israeli military action decimated Hezbollah’s ranks and senior leadership. Since the ceasefire went into effect, the IDF has continued to strike at terrorist operatives who have been engaging in activities that violate the ceasefire conditions.

In November of last year, the IDF said that it had killed Hezbollah had killed over 370 Hezbollah fighters since the ceasefire began. The following month, the military said the terror group had committed some 1,900 ceasefire infractions. 

Sam Halpern

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-886906

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