Israeli Air Force strikes Hezbollah cell in southeastern Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force on Saturday targeted a Hezbollah terrorist cell that had been operating drones and taking cover near the Security Zone established by the Israel Defense Forces in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said.

The cell was first identified by Israeli troops operating in the area of Tebnit, northwest of Israel’s Galilee Panhandle, the army said.

In response, the IAF carried out searches for the terrorists and opened fire to remove the threat posed to the IDF soldiers operating nearby, the military noted.

“The terrorists’ actions constitute a violation of the ceasefire understandings. The IDF will continue to operate to remove threats to IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians,” the military added.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun took off for Washington on Saturday morning at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Lebanese Presidency announced in an Arabic language post on X.

Aoun is slated to participate in a White House summit aimed at advancing the 14-point Israel-Lebanon Trilateral Framework Agreement that the two countries signed on June 26.

According to the framework, the Lebanese Armed Forces are expected to deploy in areas where Israeli troops withdraw.

The IDF is currently stationed in a security zone that runs along the Israeli-Lebanese border. If official Lebanese forces demonstrate their ability to clear these areas of terrorist elements, such as the Iranian-backed proxy Hezbollah, Israel would withdraw from additional areas as a platform for normalization between Jerusalem and Beirut.

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