Weapons of Hezbollah, 2025 November 13 in an image shared by the IDF. (Photo: IDF SPOKESPERSON
The IDF confirmed that the explosion in southern Lebanon was caused by a Hezbollah smuggling operation and not an Israeli airstrike, as suggested by Lebanese reports earlier on Thursday.
The explosion in southern Lebanon was not caused by an IDF strike, but by a car that exploded as Hezbollah terrorists tried to smuggle weapons, the IDF’s Arab spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, confirmed Thursday.
Adraee was responding to “false Lebanese reports” that the Israeli Air Force had carried out an airstrike near Tula in southern Lebanon.
Israel has carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah terrorists across the territory in recent weeks.
The IDF carried out intelligence-led airstrikes early Thursday morning against Hezbollah infrastructure, including a weapons depot and an underground site, in southern Lebanon, the military said.
According to the IDF, the locations were near civilian areas.
An IDF graphic showing a location in Lebanon where the military struck a Hezbollah storage facility and other underground terrorist infrastructure. in 2025 November 13 (credit: IDF SPOKESTORY DEPARTMENT)
“These terror facilities were located close to the civilian population and are yet another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields for its operations from civilian areas,” the military said.
The military also killed three Hezbollah terrorists in several airstrikes in southern Lebanon earlier this week.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem: “Israeli attacks cannot continue, everything has limits”
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem threatened Israel in a speech on Tuesday.
“Israeli attacks cannot continue; everything has a limit. We will not give up our weapons,” he said.
Qassem said the recent agreement, which includes the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, is seen as a victory for Hezbollah, calling it a positive step in protecting and strengthening Lebanon’s national interests.
Qassem’s comments came on the first anniversary of the November 10 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists.
IDF unveils Hezbollah recovery map targeting major centers of terrorism in Lebanon
The IDF’s Intelligence Directorate reviewed Hezbollah’s operations in southern Lebanon and found that Nabatia in particular has become a strategic center for rearmament and reconstruction, the military announced on Tuesday.
Six confirmed IDF airstrikes against Hezbollah terrorists in Nabataiya in the past month show that the military is dismantling Hezbollah’s top command and central logistics in the region, realizing that these are the hubs from which to manage the reconstruction effort.
The IDF airstrikes near Tire also indicate that the nerve center of Hezbollah’s ability to rebuild its terror infrastructure has been compromised, the military found. This would show that the IDF is taking away the terrorist group’s infrastructural capabilities, not just killing terrorist commanders and operatives.
The IDF noted that Hezbollah terrorists in Tire are trying to rebuild underground systems, bunkers and positions where the terrorists could establish themselves.
The IDF raids on smaller villages in southern Lebanon show that the military is sending a message of strict intelligence monitoring and targeting throughout the area.
However, the presence of terrorists in southern Lebanon shows concern among the security echelons that the territory’s Shiite majority population is not resisting the terrorist group’s attempts to rebuild its infrastructure and resume terrorist activities, despite the destruction caused by IDF airstrikes.
Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.