Israel strikes Hezbollah weapons depot in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out an airstrike targeting a Hezbollah weapons depot in northeastern Lebanon, continuing a series of military operations aimed at weakening the group's capabilities.

According to a statement from the IDF press service, the strike was conducted by Israeli fighter jets and hit a facility in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley used by Hezbollah’s air defense unit to store weapons, Caliber.Az reports.

The targeted depot was identified as part of Hezbollah’s growing air defense infrastructure, which Israel views as a significant threat amid continued cross-border hostilities.

This latest strike follows a series of IDF operations targeting senior Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure. On April 7, the Israeli military confirmed that a drone strike in southern Lebanon killed Muhammad Adnan Mansour, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for the group’s rocket unit in the Taybeh region. According to the IDF, Mansour had played a key role in orchestrating repeated rocket attacks on Israel’s Upper Galilee since the outbreak of the conflict.

The military also released footage showing the precision strike on Mansour’s location, stating it had “eliminated the threat posed by the commander and his unit.”

Earlier, on April 1, the IDF reported killing another high-ranking figure, Hassan Bdair, who was linked both to Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. The Israeli military said Bdair’s death dealt a blow to the coordination between Hezbollah and Iranian operatives.

These targeted assassinations come amid broader military activity by Israel. On March 29, the IDF announced it was expanding its ground operations in the Rafah area of Gaza, targeting Hamas infrastructure and pushing to widen a buffer zone along the border. Israeli officials maintain that these operations are crucial to weakening Hamas’s capacity and preventing further infiltration into Israeli territory.

Hezbollah launched its campaign against Israel on October 8, 2023, just a day after Hamas carried out a large-scale attack on southern Israel. Hezbollah claimed its operations were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The conflict has since evolved into an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon and a ground incursion into the country’s south.

According to Lebanese sources, approximately 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon during the offensive, including many civilians. More than 1.2 million residents have been displaced due to the fighting.

Israel has stated that one of its key objectives is to enable the return of around 60,000 Israelis displaced from northern communities following Hezbollah’s attacks. The military has reiterated that it seeks to push Hezbollah away from the border region to restore long-term security in the north.

By Tamilla Hasanova