The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes Thursday night on multiple buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting underground Hezbollah drone manufacturing sites. The IDF said the facilities, run by Hezbollah’s Unit 127, were used to build thousands of drones with funding and direction from Iran.
The strikes, which followed evacuation warnings to civilians, came in response to what Israel called a “blatant violation” of the November 2024 ceasefire with Lebanon. The IDF said Hezbollah has continued to enhance its aerial capabilities despite the truce.
“Over the years, Iran has funded and directed terrorist attacks through this project,” the military said, claiming Hezbollah operatives trained in Iran are producing drones within Lebanon.
Following the Beirut attacks, the IDF issued new evacuation alerts for Ain Qana in southern Lebanon and later struck a Hezbollah drone workshop in the area. Videos showed traffic gridlock in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district as residents fled, and Lebanese media confirmed large-scale evacuations.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would enforce the ceasefire “without compromises” and warned the Lebanese government it is “directly responsible” for preventing Hezbollah activity.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reported that the Lebanese army has dismantled over 500 Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon, in line with the ceasefire’s terms. He also criticized Israel for maintaining troops in southern Lebanon and accused it of ongoing ceasefire violations.
Since the November agreement, the IDF claims to have killed more than 180 Hezbollah operatives amid ongoing targeted strikes against the Iran-backed group.
