John Jefferson
Israel’s military says it destroyed Hezbollah’s “largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site” as a lawmaker is vowing that the terrorist group will “fight and resist” any attacks on Lebanon.
The announcement from the Israel Defense Forces came as both sides entered a ceasefire deal, which is now in its third day Friday. During the 60-day first phase of the deal, Hezbollah and Israeli forces are to withdraw from south Lebanon, and the Lebanese military is to step in.
“Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missile manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets,” the IDF said earlier this week.
“Precision-guided missiles and surface-to-surface missiles were just a few components of Hezbollah’s deadly arsenal that were produced at this site near the Syria-Lebanon border,” it added.
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Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker, told reporters Thursday that the group will cooperate with the army to implement the ceasefire, according to The Associated Press. Yet he added that the military doesn’t have the capability to defend Lebanon against Israel — a role Hezbollah has long claimed. He said the group would continue in that role.
“Can anyone say if Israel attacks, we watch?” Fadlallah said. “When Israel attacks our country, we will fight and resist. This is our right.”
Since 2019, Lebanon has been suffering from a financial crisis that has led troops in its army to quit their jobs or pick up extra work to pay the bills, according to the AP. Despite that, the aim of the agreement is for Lebanon to recruit more and deploy an additional 10,000 troops south of the Litani River.
The international community, at a donor conference in Paris last month, pledged $1 billion dollars for Lebanon, including $800 million for humanitarian assistance and $200 million to support the army. However, aid groups say none of that funding has materialized yet.
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The IDF is also continuing to warn Lebanese residents on Friday to stay away from a border region where Israeli troops are still present following their ground operation in early October.
“The IDF does not intend to target you, and therefore you are prohibited at this stage from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X, posting a map of the zone along the Israel-Lebanon border.
“Anyone who moves south of this line — exposes himself to danger,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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