IDF Crosses the Litani in Daring Raid

IDF commandos crossed the Litani River last week in one of Israel’s deepest ground operations in Lebanon since the start of the current campaign, reaching a Hezbollah launch area roughly 10 kilometers from the Israeli border, according to Hebrew media reports Tuesday.

Special forces from the Egoz Unit and the Golani Reconnaissance Unit reportedly crossed the river covertly using armored personnel carriers and moved toward the area of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, a Shiite village north of the Litani. The area has been used by Hezbollah to launch heavy rocket and mortar attacks at IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.

The operation was described as a rare crossing of what had been seen as the “Litani barrier,” a practical limit in the current fighting. It brought Israeli forces to one of the deepest points reached by the IDF in southern Lebanon so far.

During the operation, IDF troops engaged Hezbollah terrorists in several close-range firefights. In one incident, terrorists emerged from a tunnel shaft north of the river and opened fire on the Israeli force. The commandos returned fire at close range, killing some of the terrorists while others fled.

An attack dog from the Oketz Unit was wounded after chasing fleeing terrorists. Around eight IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in the operation, including in close-quarters combat and explosive drone attacks. They were evacuated for medical treatment and later reunited with their families.

The force successfully crossed back over the Litani at the end of the mission. Reports said the broader operation lasted about nine days from the beginning of the advance until the final withdrawal.

The route to Zawtar al-Sharqiyah runs through difficult terrain along the Litani valley and required engineering support and special capabilities. The operation followed an earlier attempted crossing in the campaign by Yahalom combat engineers and paratroopers under Division 98, who encountered an ambush.

The area lies north of Kantara, a village captured by Division 36 nearly a month ago. The IDF later destroyed one of the largest Hezbollah tunnels it had found in that area.

Separately Tuesday, the IDF said that since the start of the ceasefire understandings, the Air Force has struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and killed more than 350 terrorists. The targets included military buildings, weapons depots, loaded rocket launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure.

The reports come as Israel continues to prepare for a possible expansion of ground operations in Lebanon amid repeated Hezbollah ceasefire violations and growing concern over the terrorist group’s use of explosive drones.