Lebanese forces said on Sunday they had foiled a planned rocket attack on Israel, the first since a November ceasefire that ended a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah
The Lebanese army said troops raided an apartment in the southern city of Sidon, seized rockets and launch pads and arrested several people involved.
The arrests were linked to other arrests announced last week in connection with rocket attacks on Israel in late March that prompted heavy Israeli shelling in Lebanon.
The army said that during investigations it had uncovered plans for a new attack.
In the Sidon operation, rockets and equipment were seized and the suspects were handed over to justice.
The Lebanese army had already detained several people, including Palestinians, involved in two rocket attacks on Israel in March on Wednesday.
Hezbollah denied any involvement at the time.
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? “”””? “””””””? (@LebarmyOfficial) April 20, 2025
Hezbollah commander eliminated by Israel
In another development, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad area, between Sidon and Tyre, killed one person and wounded two.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike, saying the target was Hussein Ali Nasr, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is responsible for smuggling weapons into Lebanon.
According to the IDF, Nasr worked with Iran to bring weapons and money into Lebanon, some of it through Beirut airport, and led arms negotiations with smugglers on the Syria-Lebanon border.
The strike was part of a series of actions against Unit 4400, which transports weapons from Iran and its allies to Lebanon via Syria and Iraq.
Other leaders of the unit have been targeted by Israel, including Muhammad Ja’far Qassir, who was killed in Beirut in October 2024, and Ali Hassan Gharib, who was assassinated in Damascus weeks later.
The Lebanese Health Ministry also reported an Israeli strike on a house in Houla, near the border, that killed one person.
The IDF confirmed that the target was a Hezbollah engineering specialist responsible for activities in the Odaisseh region.
On the same day, Israeli fighter jets bombed the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and infrastructure, the IDF said.
Israel has been carrying out regular strikes in Lebanon even after the November 27 ceasefire, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities, including two months of open war with Hezbollah.
#Lebanonnews: An initial toll from #Lebanon‘s Health Ministry confirmed that an #Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle in the southern town of Kaouthariyet El Saiyad killed one person.https://t.co/43o1nVUIvz
? LBCI Lebanon English (@LBCI_News_EN) April 20, 2025
What the Lebanese government says
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Sunday that disarming Hezbollah requires the right conditions, warning that forcing the issue could lead to the country’s collapse.
He stressed that only the government should have weapons, but that it was a delicate issue that required dialogue to preserve peace.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that the group would not allow itself to be disarmed, despite pressure from the United States for Lebanon to force the movement to hand over its weapons.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel with rockets and drones on October 8, 2023, after a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.
Daily attacks from Lebanon displaced 60,000 residents of northern Israel and killed dozens of Israeli civilians until a November ceasefire reduced the fighting.
What the deal to restrict Hezbollah operations looks like
Under the deal, Hezbollah was supposed to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.
Israel, in turn, was supposed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, but it maintained five positions considered “strategic” and continued to strike Hezbollah targets it considered threats.
The Lebanese army has been positioning itself in the south, close to the border, as Israeli forces have withdrawn.
Israel says the strikes since the ceasefire are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, more than 120 Hezbollah members have been killed in attacks since the ceasefire began.
Published in 04/21/2025 03h23
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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