IDF Says It Eliminated Two Hezbollah Operatives in Strikes in Southern Lebanon

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday via its official X platform that it had "eliminated" two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon, accusing the targets of violating established understandings between the two nations. The statement marks a significant spike in tensions nearly a year after a ceasefire was reached, as military actions intensify across the border region.

According to the IDF’s statement posted on Saturday, Israeli forces targeted Kamel Reza Karnabsh in the Mayfadoun area. The IDF identified Karnabsh as a "terrorist" who was actively involved in Hezbollah’s efforts to reestablish its operational capabilities.

In a separate strike conducted in the village of Houla, the IDF reported the elimination of another Hezbollah operative described as a local representative for the organization.

This individual was allegedly responsible for coordinating financial and military logistics, as well as seizing private assets to be utilized for terror purposes. The IDF justified the lethal operations by stating that the "terrorists’ activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

🔴 ELIMINATED: Two Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon.

The IDF eliminated terrorist Kamel Reza Karnabsh in the Mayfadoun area, who was involved in Hezbollah’s reestablishment efforts.

In a separate strike in Houla, the IDF eliminated another Hezbollah terrorist who served…

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2025

Corroborating the reports of renewed violence, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed that an Israeli strike on a vehicle in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah killed one person on Saturday. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) identified the victim as Kamel Reza Karnabsh—aligning with the IDF’s identification of Karnabsh—noting that he was driving at the time of the attack.

The NNA also reported that a grenade dropped by an Israeli drone in the southern town of Shaqra wounded five people, alongside several other strikes targeting locations in the south and east of the country.

The Israeli military stated that these broader operations targeted "several Hezbollah launchers that were recently identified and placed in military sites in southern Lebanon," as well as weapons storage facilities. These incidents occur against a backdrop of mutual accusations regarding the fragility of the ceasefire agreement implemented in November 2024.

Israel has consistently maintained that Hezbollah is violating the truce by rebuilding its military infrastructure, while Lebanon has accused Israel of breaching the agreement by continuing airstrikes and maintaining a troop presence within Lebanese territory.

According to Lebanese health officials, the post-ceasefire violence has resulted in more than 330 deaths and 945 injuries. The situation deteriorated sharply earlier in the week when an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday night hit the Ain al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees near Sidon.

That attack, which Israel described as an operation against Hamas’s establishment in Lebanon, killed 13 people, making it the deadliest single incident since the ceasefire began. Among the casualties were two adolescent students, a local secondary school confirmed.

Amid the escalation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun utilized a televised Independence Day speech on Friday to express readiness for negotiation. President Aoun stated that Lebanon is prepared to reach an agreement that would end Israeli strikes and secure an Israeli withdrawal from five border hills occupied since the conclusion of the major hostilities last year.

He emphasized that Lebanese troops are prepared to deploy to all border points vacated by Israeli forces, suggesting that a monitoring committee comprising the U.S., France, Israel, Lebanon, and UNIFIL could verify the deployment.

The United States continues to pressure the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, a demand the group has refused. The latest exchange of fire echoes the devastation of the previous conflict, which began in October 2023 and resulted in over 4,000 deaths in Lebanon and an estimated $11 billion in damages, alongside 127 fatalities in Israel.