Israel targets Hezbollah weapons production facilities in Lebanon

Beirut, Aug 1 (IANS) Israeli warplanes carried out intensive airstrikes on multiple areas in eastern and southern Lebanon, targeting sites belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to Lebanese official media and an army source.

According to Labanon's National News Agency, a series of Israeli airstrikes "targeted the eastern mountain range in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon and wide areas deep within southern Lebanon."

A source from the Lebanese army intelligence told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out 18 airstrikes in less than half an hour across the region, targeting Hezbollah positions that had been hit in previous strikes.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its Air Force struck strategic weapon production and storage sites in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, and in southern Lebanon.

"Among the targets struck were explosive manufacturing sites, which were used to develop Hezbollah's weaponry, as well as an underground site for the production and storage of strategic weapons," the statement said.

It claimed that Hezbollah tried to rehabilitate the sites and capabilities, actions that constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that one of the targets of the airstrikes was Hezbollah's largest precision missile production site in Lebanon.

He stated that Israel's policy of maximum enforcement against Hezbollah will continue, adding that the Lebanese government bears responsibility for preventing violations of the ceasefire agreement.

The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, brokered by the United States and France, has been in effect since November 27, 2024, following more than a year of clashes related to the war in the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel continues to hold five positions in the south. It occasionally carries out airstrikes in both southern and eastern areas of the country, claiming they are aimed at eliminating "threats" posed by Hezbollah.

--IANS

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