Israel strikes Hezbollah weapons factory in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley after it tries to reestablish operations

The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) said it struck a strategic weapons factory of the terror organization Hezbollah overnight, as the group continues attempts to restore its capabilities that Israel has significantly damaged over the course of the war.

“A short while ago, the IDF struck terror infrastructure sites within a Hezbollah strategic weapons production and storage facility in the Bekaa area in Lebanon,” the military said.

The precision missile production site had already been attacked last November, and again in February and March, according to Army Radio.

“The IDF identified Hezbollah's attempts to reestablish presence and operations within the facility. Additionally, Hezbollah military infrastructure sites were struck in the area of Srifa,” the military added.

Since the start of the ceasefire, which stipulates that Hezbollah must withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Israeli military has closely observed Hezbollah’s attempts to move weapons and restore its infrastructure, and has carried out numerous airstrikes to prevent them doing so.

“These Hezbollah activities and the presence of weapons in these areas constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF stated, vowing to “continue to operate to remove any threat” and to “prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to reestablish its terror capabilities.”

Hezbollah’s efforts to restore its military capabilities continue despite ongoing negotiations over a possible disarmament of the group, led by President Joseph Aoun, who vowed to bring all arms under the control of the state.

Hezbollah has sent mixed messages regarding its readiness to disarm. On Sunday, the head of Hezbollah’s political council, Ibrahim Amin al-Sayed, said Hezbollah is ready and open to discussing Lebanon’s new “defensive strategy,” which is meant to ensure state control of all arms.

However, al-Sayed added that Hezbollah would not discuss this as long as Israel’s “daily aggression” and its occupation of the five outposts in southern Lebanon continue.

Since the election of Aoun, which was enabled by the weakening of Hezbollah, and which brought the years-long political deadlock in the country to an end, the Lebanese Army (LAF) has intensified its efforts to bring the whole country under its authority.

Monday morning, the LAF announced that its troops raided a laboratory for the production of Captagon pills on the Lebanon-Syria border, dismantled it, and seized a large quantity of pills and production material.

Until the fall of the Assad regime, Hezbollah and Iranian forces used the Syrian border area, which is the same area where the attacked precision missile production site is located, as their main conduit for smuggling drugs, money and weapons into Lebanon.

In another operation demonstrating the LAF’s efforts to establish its authority, the military said on Monday that Hamas had handed over two Palestinians suspected of involvement in the rocket launches towards Israel on March 22 and 28.

The day before, Hamas handed over another Palestinian suspected of involvement in the same incidents.