Israel strikes Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit training site in Lebanon

Israel conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Friday, including a training site used by the militant group's elite Radwan Force, the Israeli military said.

The strikes targeted a site used for training operatives, conducting live-fire drills and planning attacks against Israeli forces and civilians, according to the IDF.

Israel also struck several Hezbollah weapons depots, infrastructure and military buildings used to “advance terror plots against IDF forces and the State of Israel," the military said.

Lebanese media reported strikes concentrated in the northeastern Hermel region. Casualties were not immediately known.

The military said the targets and Hezbollah's training activities violate understandings between Israel and Lebanon and pose a threat to Israel, adding that it would continue operations to remove such threats.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after more than a year of cross-border fighting that began when Hezbollah launched attacks following the 7 October 2023 Hamas assault on Israel.

The ceasefire required both sides to halt hostilities, with Lebanon responsible for preventing armed groups from attacking Israel and Israel committed to ending offensive military operations.

The Lebanese army was tasked with disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has rejected laying down its weapons.

However, Israel has conducted near-daily strikes across Lebanon since the truce began, saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to prevent the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.

The UN reported that more than 330 people have been killed in Israeli operations since the ceasefire began.

Lebanon's government has come under pressure to disarm Hezbollah, with Israeli officials warning of renewed military operations if the group is not fully dismantled.

The Radwan Force is Hezbollah's elite special operations unit, established with assistance from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The unit, estimated to number around 2,500 fighters, gained significant battlefield experience during the Syrian war and is tasked with planning cross-border operations into northern Israel, including potential infiltration and seizure of Israeli territory in the Galilee region.

Hezbollah has functioned as Iran's primary proxy since its formation in 1982, with Tehran providing the group with an estimated $700 million to $1 billion annually (€600m to €850m), along with weapons, training and political support through the IRGC, according to recent US government assessments.

Israel killed Hezbollah's military chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on 23 November, the most senior commander to die since the ceasefire began a year earlier.