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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is working to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon in line with the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States last month.
On December 18, the IDF said that a tunnel in southern Lebanon that served as a Hezbollah command center was recently demolished by its combat engineers.
The underground facility was used by Hezbollah to direct numerous rocket attacks on Israeli towns in the Galilee in the past year, according to the military, which noted that Israeli troops located weapons, surveillance equipment, and other military gear inside the tunnel.
The IDF also said that several weapons depots were located near the tunnel, including one inside a mosque, where hundreds of explosive devices, guns, grenades, and other equipment were stored. After the tunnel was fully investigated by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, it was blown up, per the military.
On December 19, the IDF said that it had demolished rocket launchers and weapons at Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
During operations carried out by the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade, the IDF said that troops found anti-tank missiles, an artillery piece, explosive devices, and rocket launchers. Some of the launchers found by troops were aimed at Israel, the military added.
The ceasefire agreement, which entered into effect on November 27, does call on Hezbollah to pull its forces out from southern Lebanon as well as for the destruction of the group’s infrastructure in the region. Due to this, there was no reaction from the group to the IDF’s recent operations.
Meanwhile in Syria, Israel continues to entrench itself in the areas it invaded in the southern region of the country following the fall of the Assad regime.
As of December 19, the IDF has occupied some 500 kilometers of southern Syria, including parts of the governorates of al-Qunitra, Rif Dimashq and Daraa, according to al-Mayadeen TV.
The Beirut-based news channel said that Israeli troops dismantled all Syrian military sites in the The slopes of Mount Hermon and the plateaus of Quneitra and Daraa.
Citing Syrian sources, Al-Mayadeen also reported that the IDF bulldozed the sites of the Haramoun sign, Tel Ain Marwan, Tel al-Hamriya, al-Tilal al-Humr, and Tel al-Kassarat in the far northern countryside of Quneitra, which administratively overlaps with the slopes of Mount Hermon.
The sources also confirmed that Israeli troops destroyed the headquarters of the second and third battalions of the 90th Brigade, which are among the largest formations of the now dissolved Syrian Arab Army. Communication and jamming equipment were also taken or destroyed by the troops.
Commenting on Israeli operations in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on December 19 that Israel was the main beneficiary of the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria and casted doubt on Israel’s plans to withdraw troops from a buffer zone once the situation stabilizes.
Putin condemned Israel’s seizure of territories in Syria and said that he felt that Israel had no intention of withdrawing its troops from Syria.
“We hope that Israel will at some point leave the territory of Syria. But now it is bringing in additional troops,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
This warning reflects the seriousness of Israel’s recent actions in Syria. The new government, which is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is still weak and working to solidify its control. It had condemned IDF operations. However, the war-torn country is clearly not in a situation that would allow it to fight back.
Overall, Israel continues to reap the gains of its war on Hezbollah in both Lebanon and Syria. Still, a complete Israeli victory remains questionable.
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