In Rare Admission, Israel Acknowledges Air Strikes In Syria

TEL AVIV: In a rare admission, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari acknowledged on Saturday that Israel has hit more than 50 targets belonging to Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias in Syria since October 7. Israel has been hitting targets belonging to Iran and its proxy militias in Syria for years, though only acknowledging them infrequently and in general ways.

Overall, the IDF has struck more than 3,400 Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon since October 7, Hagari said. According to Hagari, this includes 40 weapons depots, 40 command and control centers, 120 observation posts, and 150 Hezbollah terror cells. Hagari said around 200 members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been killed in the airstrikes.

"Everywhere Hezbollah is, we shall be. We will take action everywhere required in the Middle East," Hagari said. Since October 7, Hezbollah has fired more than 2,000 rockets and anti-tank missiles and launched dozens of aerial drones, killing 18 Israelis and forcing over 80,000 living near the Lebanese border to evacuate.

Hagari disclosed that Israel has deployed three army divisions to the Lebanese border. The presence of armed Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second War in Lebanon in 2006. Under that agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces are supposed to be the only armed group south of the Litani River.