IDF in Lebanon
The Real Reason the IDF Raided Blida: What Hezbollah Was Hiding in Plain Sight
IDF conducts overnight operation in Blida, Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure hidden in civilian buildings. One fatality reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed an overnight operation in the southern Lebanese town of Blida, stating the objective was the destruction of Hezbollah infrastructure. The raid resulted in a fatality after troops reportedly engaged an individual identified as an immediate threat within a building, which Lebanese media sources claimed to be the town's municipality.
The military released a statement acknowledging its presence in Blida as part of an effort to dismantle terror infrastructure linked to the Iran-backed group.
During the targeted raid, the IDF reported that soldiers identified a suspect inside a building and opened fire after identifying the immediate threat.
"Once an immediate threat to the soldiers was identified, [the troops] opened fire to remove the threat, and a hit was identified," the IDF stated.
The troops reportedly entered around 1:30 a.m. and withdrew by 4 a.m. Afterwards, the Lebanese army later recovered the body, identified as Ibrahim Salameh.
The IDF confirmed that the shooting incident is now under further investigation.
Civilian Infrastructure Exploited
According to reports in Lebanese media, the gunfire resulted in the death of a municipal worker, Ibrahim Salameh. The IDF asserted that the building in question, identified by local sources as the municipality, had been recently exploited by Hezbollah for "terror activity under the guise of civilian infrastructure."
The army emphasized that this incident reflects a larger strategy by the Shi'ite terror group that "endangers the residents of Lebanon and reflects Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure for terror purposes."
The IDF operation concluded without confrontation with the Lebanese military. An Israeli military source confirmed that Lebanese army troops arrived in the area only after the IDF had completed its withdrawal, stressing that "there was no confrontation between the sides."