IDF destroys Hezbollah positions, troops prepare for combat in Lebanon

IDF air force aircraft, combat jets, and artillery destroyed several Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon on Friday, the IDF stated.

Among the Hezbollah military positions targeted was a launch site from which rockets had been fired at northern Israel earlier in the day, the military stated.

Several rocket alerts sounded in northern Israel on Friday, after which the IDF claims it identified a number of launches originating from Lebanon.

The IDF said that some of these launches were intercepted according to standing policy.

IDF air defense systems often do not target incoming rockets that it identifies as having a trajectory indicating an impact site in open, unpopulated areas.

On Thursday, it noted that one in five rockets and missiles fired from Lebanon never cross into Israel, and instead fall short inside Lebanese territory.

Additionally, the IDF said on Friday that Israeli air defense capabilities had downed another suspicious aerial target before it succeeded in crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon.

Further, a drone originating from within Lebanese territory fell near an IDF post near the Israeli border community of Menara, north of Kiryat Shmona.

Also on Friday, the IDF announced that both regular and reservist troops have been taking part in a military exercise dubbed “Valuable Time,” in northern Israel over the course of the Gaza war in preparation for combat scenarios that could take place near the border with Lebanon.

The military noted that the troops engaged in the training activities have been doing so as they carry out live operational activities, adding that such training boosts the soldiers’ readiness for various scenarios that could take place in the north.

IDF training for all scenarios

The soldiers are reportedly training for a plethora of different activities including both daytime and nighttime operations as well as urban and rural combat.

The IDF added that the troops are being trained on artillery capabilities and a variety of different types of weapons.

The training exercises are being carried out on a range of structural levels ranging from platoon to battalion combat teams in order to best prepare soldiers for real, integrated combat scenarios, the military noted.

The Northern Command of the IDF, the regional command that oversees the training, established an area for the exercises to be conducted that included shooting instructors and a mobile fire operation unit as well as training on a host of different weapons and technological systems.

IDF hits Hezbollah command center

Later on Friday evening, the IDF spokesperson announced that the Israeli military had hit another series of Hezbollah targets inside Lebanese territory.

Responding to more rocket launches from Lebanon, the IDF said the air force hit Hezbollah terror infrastructure, military sites, and a command center.

The IDF also hit an additional site where Hezbollah had fired rockets that crossed into Israel, triggering alarms in the Golan Heights area of Shaba Farms.