The IDF early Friday morning precisely struck UAV production sites and storage facilities used by the Hezbollah Aerial Unit (127) in the Dahieh in Beirut and in southern Lebanon, said the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
Throughout the war, Hezbollah’s aerial unit has launched over 1,000 UAVs, both explosive UAVs and reconnaissance, toward the territory of the State of Israel, the IDF statement noted.
"Despite the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah's aerial unit continues to engage in terrorism and expand its capabilities. The unit is working to produce thousands of UAVs under the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists, as part of Iran’s efforts to harm the State of Israel," said the IDF.
Over the years, Iran has funded and directed terrorist attacks through this project, in coordination with Hezbollah. Hezbollah terrorists travel to Iran for training in production systems, which supports the group’s ability to independently manufacture UAVs inside Lebanon.
"The IDF has identified that Hezbollah terrorists have been continuing this activity even since the understandings came into effect, and the IDF is determined to take action against terrorists trained in Iran for terrorist attacks," said the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
Furthermore, the IDF struck a workshop facility in southern Lebanon used to manufacture drones employed for attacks, intelligence collection, and for the enhancement of Hezbollah’s surveillance capabilities.
Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to minimize the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence. The infrastructure struck was embedded within a densely populated civilian area. The IDF stated that "this is another example of Hezbollah's cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields."
"The activity at these sites constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF is prepared in defense and offense and will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel and its civilians, and will prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to reestablish itself," said the IDF.
The IDF on Thursday night began striking terror targets of the Hezbollah Aerial Unit (127) in the Dahieh suburb south of Beirut.
Earlier in the evening, in an unusual move, the IDF announced that it would carry out strikes on underground UAV production infrastructure sites that it says were deliberately established in the heart of the civilian population in the Dahieh suburb.
"Despite the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, the IDF has identified that the Hezbollah aerial unit is operating to produce thousands of UAVs, with the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists," the IDF stated.
According to the IDF, following Hezbollah's extensive use of UAVs as a central component of its terrorist attacks on the state of Israel, the terrorist organization is operating to increase the production of UAVs for the next war.
"These activities constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The Hezbollah terrorist organization creates challenges for the State of Lebanon and thus prevents the implementation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the IDF added.
At the same time, IDF Arabic Language Spokesman issued a warning to those in the Dahieh, especially those in the Al-Hadath, Haret Hreik, and Burj Al-Barajneh neighborhoods. "You are located near facilities belonging to Hezbollah. For your safety and the safety of your families, you are required to evacuate these buildings immediately and move away from them at a distance of no less than 300 meters," he stated.
Local sources are reporting panic in the streets as residents attempt to flee the impending strikes.
According to Lebanese reports, the Lebanese Armed Forces raided some of the buildings that the IDF had ordered evacuated. In addition, reports stated that the IDF has conducted warning strikes on several buildings.
