The IDF confirmed on Sunday that it has again struck the Dahieh suburb south of Beirut, after several days that the IAF has refrained from doing so, seemingly due to American pressure. With the direction of precise IDF intelligence, the IAF struck strategic weapons stockpiled by Hezbollah in an underground storage facility in the area of the suburb which serves as the organization's stronghold. According to the IDF: "Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including advancing warnings to the population in the area." At the beginning of the week, it was reported that last Thursday, the political echelon ordered the IDF to suspend striking the Beirut area due to American pressure for Israel to avoid harming civilians. Diplomatic officials refuted the claims, but in fact, there were no airstrikes on the area for nearly a week. In the meantime, the 98th Division has been continuing to conduct limited, localized, and targeted operational activity in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah terror targets and terrorist infrastructure in the area. Over the past day, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists during exchanges of fire and aerial strikes. The troops located numerous weapons, including rocket, mortar, and anti-tank missile launchers aimed toward communities in northern Israel, as well as grenades and additional military equipment. Additionally, over 140 Hezbollah terror targets were struck from the air, including weapons storage facilities, launchers aimed toward Israeli territory, terrorist infrastructure, and terrorist cells. In Gaza, the IAF eliminated the terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Commander of Hamas' UAV Force in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist directed UAV attacks toward Israeli territory and IDF troops. טנק פועל בצפון רצועת עזה צילום: דובר צה"ל In the area of Jabaliya, the troops eliminated over 50 terrorists in close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes over the past day. In the Rafah area, an armed terrorist cell planning to attack IDF troops was eliminated using drones.
