Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari-October 8, 2024

Good evening, The IDF continues its ground and air operations against Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon. We are focusing on striking the organization’s command chain, degrading and destroying its military capabilities, especially the strategic capabilities, and dismantling the infrastructure built in the villages near the border that threaten the residents of the north.

This evening, we can confirm that in the airstrike we carried out yesterday afternoon, we struck and destroyed dozens of underground command centers of Hezbollah's Southern Front, which included the commanders responsible for managing the combat against Israel in the south. They were also responsible for execution of the "Conquer the Galilee" plan.

This is Hezbollah's Southern Front, composed of three units— Bader, Nasser, and Aziz. The dots represent the underground command centers where Hezbollah's company, battalion and brigade commanders were hiding. We eliminated the commander of the Bint Jbeil attack sector and the artillery commander of the sector, who were planning to raid the communities in the area of the Dovev to Yiftah communities.

Additionally, we eliminated at least four commanders in the Ghajir sector who were responsible for the raid on the communities of Nir’s Ridge. Hezbollah's Southern Front, under the command of the terrorist Ali Karaki—whom we eliminated along with Hassan Nasrallah—systematically operated, for years, building an underground command structure in southern Lebanon from which they managed attacks against the State of Israel. The terrorists we eliminated yesterday, were the commanders and operatives who, on the day of the order, were set to infiltrate Israeli territory into the northern communities to murder and abduct Israeli civilians. So far, it can be confirmed that over 50 terrorists were killed in the strike, including 6 senior commanders. This is a significant moral, command, and operational blow to Hezbollah terrorists.

We are seeing this now in the fighting in the south, while simultaneously continuing ground operations in southern Lebanon against the infrastructure that the southern front established in the border area. Our troops are operating to locate dozens of underground combat infrastructure, which do not cross into Israeli territory; we are investigating, neutralizing, and destroying them.

This evening, we reported that we located and neutralized a tunnel approximately 25 meters long, which crossed approximately 10 meters past the border fence, from the Marwahin area in southern Lebanon into Israeli territory, near the community of Zar'it. In the footage you see here, you can see our soldiers—scanning the tunnel. They uncovered the tunnel, raided, neutralized, and cleared it. As you can see, the end of the route was blocked, it had no exit point within Israeli territory. This is a route we identified several months ago, monitored, and investigated using technological means without letting Hezbollah know—and now, we can confirm that we have neutralized it.

We continue to scan the area along the entire border—both on our side and in the villages in southern Lebanon. We are scanning the area thoroughly to search and locate such terrorist infrastructure. Following recent rumors about cross-border tunnels in northern Israel, I emphasize that we are not aware of any additional cross-border tunnels beyond what I have shown you now. We are scanning thoroughly, in the villages, and along the border, and we will continue our scans accurately, using all the technological means we have. This is what we have now, we have dealt with it, and we will continue to operate in the area.

The forces operating in southern Lebanon, have so far struck over 3,000 Hezbollah targets by ground and air, including military structures, weapons and underground infrastructure—facilities from which Hezbollah planned to raid northern communities. To illustrate the amount of weaponry we are discovering, the troops have so far found hundreds of Kornet missiles. The troops operate in the field accompanied by tanks and engineering equipment, which, even after a year of combat, maintain high readiness, thanks to the crucial work of the Logistics and Technology Directorate personnel operating both inside and outside Lebanon. The troops are also provided with high-quality food and life-saving medical treatments in the field at every point. Alongside the ground forces, IAF aircraft are striking targets directed by the soldiers on the ground and assisting them.

All of our activities are part of changing the security reality in the north, so that the residents of the north can return to their homes at a time determined by the political echelon.

Today, Hezbollah launched 110 rockets at Haifa in two barrages. Soldiers of the Aerial Defense Array intercepted most of the launches, with the exception of two hits in urban areas. Thanks to the responsible and proper conduct of the civilians, there are only three people lightly injured.

Following this, we held a situational assessment, and it was decided to change the Home Front Command's guidelines. Tomorrow there will be no school in the communities of the Krayot Region. The full instructions are available on the Home Front Command website.

We continue to fight in the Gaza Strip, and this week we began a focused operation in the Jabaliya area in northern Gaza, to prevent Hamas' re-grouping efforts and target terrorist targets, in light of additional intelligence we gathered. So far, the troops have eliminated approximately 100 terrorists and continue operations in the northern and southern parts of the Strip.

Yesterday, we marked one year since the murderous Hamas massacre. I visited the Nahal Oz and Kissufim outposts and met with the field observers who were there on October 7, who are still serving in the IDF today. They told me what they went through on that day, about the challenges they have faced since and how they are coping with the grief over their friends who fell in Nahal Oz. They told me that we must do everything— they looked me in the eyes and said—you must do everything to bring our friends home—Naama, Liri, Agam, Karina, and Daniella, who are being held by Hamas in Gaza. We will not forget the 101 hostages, and we will do everything to bring them back.