Israeli troops conduct raid along south Lebanon's Litani river

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Tuesday its troops had conducted a days-long raid in the area of the Litani river in south Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah persist despite a ceasefire.

In a statement, the military said that over the past week, troops had conducted a "special operation to clear terrorist infrastructure from the Litani area and establish operational control in the area".



It said soldiers had been operating south of the Israeli-declared "yellow line" that runs around 10 kilometres (six miles) north of the border and where Israeli forces continue to be stationed.

Israeli media reported that troops had gone beyond the Litani river and operated on the outskirts of the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah.

When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was unable to confirm whether troops had crossed the Litani, but it published photos from the operation showing soldiers walking along a bridge traversing a river.

Other photos published by the military showed tanks and soldiers operating along the riverbank.

"During the operation, the troops located compounds used by Hezbollah terrorists, underground tunnel routes containing large quantities of weapons, weapons storage facilities, and missile launchers," the military said, adding that it had struck more than 100 targets.

It also said troops had "struck and eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters combat, alongside aerial support."

Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah have been trading fire in south Lebanon despite a ceasefire in place since April 17 between Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon's health ministry on Tuesday told AFP that Israeli strikes have killed 380 people since the ceasefire took effect.

The Israeli military says five soldiers have been killed by the fighting in south Lebanon since the start of the truce.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East conflict on March 2 when it launched rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had identified an "unsuccessful attempt to launch a surface-to-air missile toward an Israeli Air Force aircraft," but that no damage or injuries were caused.

The military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, issued fresh evacuation warnings for several villages in south Lebanon on Tuesday.