The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that its 146th Division has completed a three-month deployment in southern Lebanon and will return to Israel.
Operations and Results
According to the military, during the mission the division "struck and eliminated more than 550 terrorists" and dismantled over 2,700 terrorist infrastructure sites. The statement said these removals included more than 200 weapons storage facilities cleared with support from the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and dozens of underground routes neutralized in cooperation with the Yahalom engineering unit.
Territorial Gains and Strategic Impact
The IDF also reported that its ground forces secured the Beaufort Ridge outpost and the Wadi al-Saluki area north of the Litani River on Sunday morning. Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin, the IDF spokesperson, described control of Beaufort Ridge as carrying "important operational significance," calling it a key geographic hub from which Hezbollah has directed fire and conducted observation toward communities in the Galilee Panhandle and the border town of Metula.
OPERATIONS CONDUCTED by troops from the 401st Brigade in southern Lebanon. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
"From this area, Hezbollah directs fire and conducts observation toward the communities of the Galilee Panhandle and Metula. Since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion alone, more than 400 launches have been fired from this area," Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said.
Wider Context
The announcement came as the IDF intensified operations against Hezbollah across Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the military to resume heavy strikes on Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut on Monday morning, according to official statements.
The military emphasized the coordinated roles of ground forces, the air force and specialized engineering units in dismantling weapons sites and subterranean infrastructure during the three-month effort in southern Lebanon.
Report contribution: Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
