Paratroopers eliminate 15 Hezbollah terrorists in close-range combat, destroy tunnels

The combat team of the IDF's Paratrooper Brigade has eliminated 15 Hezbollah terrorists during close-range combat since Thursday morning.

Most Hezbollah terrorists are reportedly hiding in buildings in the heart of Lebanese villages, waiting for IDF soldiers to arrive before ambushing them.

Over the past day, paratrooper forces operating under the 98th Division have surrounded several towns and searched buildings and areas based on precise intelligence identifying military complexes and houses converted into terrorist outposts.

During one of the confrontations with Hezbollah operatives, Captain Ben Zion Falach was killed, the IDF reported on Thursday. 

Additionally, paratrooper soldiers discovered numerous weapons, including mortars, launchers, rifles, machine guns, military equipment storage units, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and a launch pit where a rocket launcher was hidden, ready to fire at northern Israeli communities.

Destroying underground structures

Despite Israel Air Force, along with artillery units, targeting some of the underground infrastructure the IDF has uncovered during operational activities in Lebanon, according to field reports, only ground searches and operations by engineering forces, led by the Yahalom Unit, can precisely and effectively locate, map, and destroy the underground systems.

In some cases, significant items were found and transferred to Israel along with weapons for intelligence review.

Field reports indicate that some of the underground sites uncovered were constructed to support Hezbollah's plan to conquer the Galilee, which involved swiftly advancing to the border and crossing into Israeli territory as part of an effort to take over northern Israeli communities.

Targeting terrorists concealed within civilian communities

These actions are part of the brigade's efforts to remove terrorist threats in the area.

The IDF also announced on Friday that the 188th Armored Brigade, under the command of the 36th Division, have been conducting limited, localized, targeted ground raids over the last few days.

These raids, based on precise intelligence, have been targeting compounds concealed within civilian villages, the military said. In addition, the forces have been eliminating terrorists from the air and at close range in southern Lebanon. 

Over the last day, troops discovered rocket launcher munitions, anti-tank missiles, and rockets - inside a residential home. The weapons were found by a bed and a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In addition, the soldiers also located and confiscated dozens of weapons left behind in buildings and civilian homes in southern Lebanon. The weapons located include rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, firearms, observation posts, and an explosive device buried by the enemy in the area.

Radwan Forces infrastructure

One of the IDF's primary focuses are the tunnel exit infrastructures used by Radwan Forces to infiltrate into Israel territories. As such, an IDF objective is to locate and destroy these exit infrastructures, and to disrupt HEzbollah's plans of conquering the Galilee.

Additionally, according to IDF assessments, the 98th and 36th Divisians, along with the IAF, had killed over 100 terrorists since Thursday, Walla reported on Friday.

Celebrating Rosh Hashana

According to the directive of the head of the IDF's Technology and Logistics Directorate, efforts will be made to enable all IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon to mark the Rosh Hashana holiday.

גם במהלך ראש השנה, כוחות צה"ל ממשיכים בפעילות המבצעית ובמוכנות מלאה בכלל הגזרות - בצפון, בדרום ובמרכז>> pic.twitter.com/rLBhbUUnRu

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 4, 2024

Accordingly, hot meals have been transported along the logistical routes to the soldiers in the Lebanese villages.

Returning home

According to a report on Walla, IDF estimations suggest that intensive operations by the various combat teams in the village and town opposite an Israeli settlement at the border, which their names or precise locations the IDF had not shared with Walla, will eventually allow residents to return to their homes safely.

However, the IDF shared with Walla that the battles and strikes in the village of Kila facing Metulla, is an example of these efforts.