IDF Alpinist Unit Conducts Cross-Border Raid Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released footage Sunday showing troops from its Alpinist Unit conducting a cross-border operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. According to the Israeli military’s X and Telegram accounts, the operation involved traversing snow-covered mountainous terrain from the Syrian Hermon to Mount Dov to locate and dismantle terrorist infrastructure, gather intelligence, and prevent armed groups from establishing a foothold along the border.

The IDF statement said, "Troops from the Alpinist Unit, under the command of the 810th Brigade, completed a targeted operation to thwart attempts by terrorist organizations to establish a foothold along the Lebanon border."

It added that "as part of the operation, the troops operated in complex mountainous terrain, crossing on foot through deep snow from the Syrian Hermon to the Mount Dov area in southern Lebanon to scan the area, gather intelligence, and locate enemy terrorist infrastructure, using the specialized capabilities of the mountain commando unit."

The statement concluded that "troops of the 210th Division continue to maintain a defensive posture in the area in order to protect the security of Israeli civilians, particularly residents of the north."

This comes against the background of recent Israeli operations targeting members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, including Ali Hassan Shaib, who the IDF said had operated under the guise of a journalist for Al Manar, Hezbollah’s media network. 

“Turns out the ‘press vest’ was just a cover for terror,” the Israeli military stated on X. The IDF also claimed it had eliminated Shaib, describing him as a long-standing operative within the Iran-backed movement.

"Ali Shaib was officially recruited as a member of Hezbollah’s military wing in 2020, but in practice had been cooperating with the terrorist organization since 2013," the IDF international spokesperson LTC Nadav Shoshani said in a statement on X. 

"His role in the intelligence unit was to film intelligence information and transfer it to the Radwan Force, all under the guise of a journalist. Shaib’s activities in exposing the locations of IDF troops to Hezbollah posed a tangible threat to the lives of IDF troops in southern Lebanon," he added.

The military video coincided with ongoing hostilities in southern Lebanon, where Israeli air and ground strikes have continued in response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah that began on March 2, 2026, AFP reported.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli airstrikes killed seven Syrians and one Lebanese in Henniyeh and wounded nine others, while another strike on Deir Zahrani killed seven people and wounded eight. The ministry noted that since the start of the current conflict, 46 paramedics and five other healthcare workers have died as a result of Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military also confirmed the death of Sergeant Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, 22, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, who was killed in southern Lebanon, according to AFP. Katz, a lone soldier from New Haven, Connecticut, was reportedly killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack overnight between Friday and Saturday.

Three additional Israeli soldiers were moderately wounded in the same attack and evacuated to hospitals, the military said. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued statements offering condolences, calling Katz’s service “brave” and honoring his deployment to the northern border.

The fighting has also affected Lebanese military personnel.

AFP cited Lebanese army sources reporting that two soldiers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Deir Zahrani and Kfar Tibnit while off duty.

Hezbollah separately announced rocket attacks on Israeli positions near Taybeh and other southern towns. The escalation coincides with Israeli plans to establish a buffer zone extending to the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border.

The conflict has also resulted in casualties among journalists. AFP reported that three journalists were killed in south Lebanon on Saturday, including Ali Shaib, a prominent correspondent for Al Manar, and Fatima Ftouni of Al Mayadeen, alongside her brother, a cameraman. 

Al Manar and Al Mayadeen confirmed the deaths. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings, calling them “a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars,” while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists constituted a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Information Minister Paul Morcos described the actions as “war crimes.”

Israeli authorities defended their operations, asserting that Shaib had “operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist for the Al Manar network,” AFP reported. 

The IDF said it had killed over 800 Hezbollah members from air, sea, and ground operations since the start of the current hostilities.

In addition to southern Lebanon, residents of Beirut reported sonic booms on Saturday evening caused by Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier during ongoing airstrikes.

Health officials said several paramedics were killed while performing rescue duties, including four from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee and five from the Amal movement’s Risala Scouts.

The renewed Israeli operations follow a broader regional escalation linked to Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacks and the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran, which began earlier this year.

AFP reported that hostilities since March 2 have killed at least 1,189 people in Lebanon, with numerous civilian casualties documented.

The situation along the Israel-Lebanon border remains active. Israeli forces continue ground operations in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah maintains rocket attacks targeting northern Israel. The IDF emphasized that its Alpinist Unit operation sought to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and prevent further escalation along the border.

The developments underscore the risks to Israeli troops, Lebanese soldiers, healthcare personnel, and journalists as fighting persists amid regional hostilities.

The Israeli military confirmed that Sergeant Katz and Hezbollah operatives including Ali Shaib were killed during operations along the border, while airstrikes in southern Lebanon continued to affect civilians and emergency responders.