Ten weeks into its campaign in Lebanon, and about three weeks after the ceasefire took effect, the IDF announced on Sunday that it has confiscated over 10,000 weapons belonging to Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon.
The IDF clarified that Division 91 carried out operations in more than ten districts, while Division 98 was active in at least six. It is possible that the two divisions overlapped in some regions.
Division 91 extended its operations to the Litani River and the Saluki area, reaching deeper into southern Lebanese territory.
Division 98, on the other hand, operated in key locations such as Khiam, Al-Adaysseh, Rab Al-Tlatin, Marjayoun, Al-Taybeh, and Al-Khiam.
Division 91 reported that it had destroyed 1,000 Hezbollah sites, while Division 98 stated it had taken out more than 300.
Division 98 was the first to enter Lebanon and faced some of the most intense early battles due to its unofficial status as a special forces division. Later, it handed over much of the remaining tasks to Divisions 91, 36, and 146.
On October 8, Brig.-Gen. Shai Kleper, commander of Division 91, hosted a small group of Israeli journalists, including a team from the Jerusalem Post, in one of the operational zones. He said, “We are standing in one of the battle areas on the Lebanese front. We are acting to harm, neutralize, and destroy Radwan operatives and their attack plan in terms of their capabilities and infrastructure.”
He continued, “We are in a weapons storage area for Radwan [inside a village civilian house]. You can see hundreds of vests, mortars, mines… all the weapons they need. An operative could show up here in jeans and sandals, receive all of his war supplies, a map, and a plan of attack for which he was pre-trained.”
Other commanders involved in the campaign included Brig.-Gen. Guy Levi of Division 98, Brig.-Gen. Moran Omer of Division 36, and Brig.-Gen. Yiftach Norkin of Division 146.
In the final weeks, Division 98 focused its efforts on Al-Khiam, which had been a significant Hezbollah base for launching thousands of rockets at Israel before the ceasefire on November 26.
Late last week, the IDF began withdrawing from parts of southern Lebanon as part of its agreement to complete a full withdrawal by January 26.
Though the IDF reported killing over 25 Hezbollah fighters attempting to infiltrate southern Lebanon or breach the ceasefire, Hezbollah has largely abided by the truce.
Before November 26, Hezbollah had been firing between 100 and 250 rockets daily, targeting approximately one-third of Israel, including heavily populated areas like Haifa.
{Matzav.com Israel}