IDF Unleashes Massive Retaliation Strike After Four Soldiers Killed: Over 80 Hezbollah Targets Destroyed in Single Night
Israel struck more than 80 Hezbollah command posts and launch sites across southern Lebanon overnight • Dozens of terrorists killed in precision airstrikes • The massive operation followed the deaths of four IDF soldiers, including battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon | Full details of the retaliatory campaign (Israel News)
The Israeli Air Force executed one of its most extensive strike campaigns in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, destroying more than 80 Hezbollah targets in a single night and eliminating dozens of terrorists in what military officials described as a direct response to repeated ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed terror organization.
The massive retaliatory operation came hours after four IDF soldiers, including a senior tank battalion commander, were killed in a Hezbollah attack in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tebnit. The IDF confirmed that Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade, was among those killed when a suspected drone or anti-tank missile struck his tank shortly after midnight.
According to the IDF statement, Israeli warplanes struck command headquarters, rocket launch positions, and terror infrastructure across the Nabatieh region and multiple other areas in southern Lebanon's security zone and beyond. The strikes targeted facilities where Hezbollah operatives were actively operating at the time of the attacks, resulting in dozens of terrorist casualties.
Precision Strikes in the Bekaa Valley
In addition to the extensive operations in the Nabatieh sector, Israeli aircraft struck two Hezbollah command posts in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley region. Military sources confirmed the facilities were actively occupied by terror operatives when the strikes were carried out, marking a significant expansion of Israel's operational reach beyond the immediate border zone.
The IDF emphasized that the campaign was launched in direct response to what it characterized as systematic and repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah. Israeli forces operating north of the Litani River continue their mission to dismantle the strategic underground infrastructure that Hezbollah constructed over years along the border area.
In a separate incident during the night, the IDF identified Hezbollah terrorists launching rockets toward Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon. In what military officials described as rapid operational closure, Israeli aircraft eliminated two terrorists who attempted to flee the launch site on a motorcycle. The IDF subsequently destroyed the rocket launcher from which the projectiles had been fired.
Mounting Casualties Amid Ongoing Operations
The overnight strikes came against the backdrop of mounting Israeli casualties in Lebanon. Beyond Lt. Col. Ben Simhon, the IDF confirmed that soldier Nevo Habshush of the community of Adam was among those killed in the Kfar Tebnit attack. His father, Chaim Habshush, delivered a heartbreaking message to the Israeli public Friday morning, asking citizens to continue living their lives fully despite the devastating loss.
Several hours after the fatal tank strike, a Hezbollah explosive drone struck forces of the Commando Brigade, though the IDF has not released details on casualties from that incident. The names of two additional soldiers killed in the Kfar Tebnit attack have not yet been cleared for publication.
The escalation in Lebanon unfolds as Israel faces mounting international pressure over its military operations. Vice President JD Vance delivered an unprecedented warning to Israel Thursday, stating that President Trump is "the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time" — a message veteran Israeli intelligence journalist Ronen Bergman described as unlike anything previously stated by an American president or vice president about Israel.
The IDF stated that operational activity in southern Lebanon will continue as long as Hezbollah persists in violating the ceasefire agreement and threatening Israeli forces and civilians. The military's central objective remains the destruction of terror infrastructure that Hezbollah built over years in proximity to Israel's northern border.
Israeli defense officials released video documentation of the strikes, including footage showing the destruction of the rocket launcher and the elimination of the fleeing terrorists.