Israel SitRep: January 24, 2025

Today’s Issue: | Israel to Remain in Southern Lebanon Beyond 60th Day of Ceasefire Agreement | IDF Conducts Southern Lebanon Clearance Operations, Finds Tunnels, Large Quantity of Weapons | Walla News Report: Hamas Preparing for More Fighting; IDF Preparing for ‘Any Scenario’ | Israel National Mine Action Authority Clears More Than 200 Mines in Golan Heights | Latest FDD Analysis

Israel to Remain in Southern Lebanon Beyond 60th Day of Ceasefire Agreement: The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on Friday that Israel will remain in parts of southern Lebanon beyond the 60th day of the ceasefire agreement. The announcement notes that according to the agreement, the withdrawal is supposed to take place within 60 days and adds that it was phrased in this way because it was understood that it might take longer. The withdrawal, says the statement, is contingent on the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon and their enforcing the agreement “fully and effectively” and on Hezbollah’s withdrawing beyond the Litani River. The Prime Minister’s Office adds that since Lebanon has not yet fully enforced the agreement, the withdrawal process “will continue in full coordination with the United States.” The announcement concludes: “The state of Israel will not endanger its communities and its citizens and will insist on full implementation of the objective of the fighting in the north: the residents’ safe return to their homes.”

IDF Conducts Southern Lebanon Clearance Operations, Finds Tunnels, Large Quantity of Weapons: The IDF on Friday reported on activity by the 769th (Hiram) Regional Brigade, which is carrying out clearance operations in southern Lebanon. Last week, paratroopers operating in the Saluki area found several major Hezbollah tunnels intended for use as living quarters. The brigade’s engineering troops, in cooperation with Yahalom engineering troops, destroyed the tunnels. Later, soldiers found a weapons cache in a mosque, hundreds of mortar shells, guns, a vehicle with weapons on it, rockets, explosive devices, and other Hezbollah military equipment. In an operation by the Golani Brigade, troops found trucks with heavy rocket launchers on them, together with several weapons depots with a large quantity of explosive devices, launchers, mortar shells, rockets, shoulder-launched missiles, and other military equipment. The weapons depots were demolished, and the weapons were confiscated. According to the military, these operations are being carried out while “maintaining the [ceasefire] understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

Walla News Report: Hamas Preparing for More Fighting; IDF Preparing for ‘Any Scenario’: Amir Bohbot, military correspondent for Israel’s Walla news website, reports that Hamas has begun preparations for another round of fighting with the IDF, and the army is concerned that the terror group will attempt to exploit the massive amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza to smuggle technological equipment and ammunition. As a result, clear instructions have been given to carefully inspect aid entering Gaza. While the IDF anticipates that the ceasefire will hold, Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman has ordered that preparations be made in case there are problems and the IDF has to quickly return to fighting. The military has stepped up the pace of work in the buffer zone, and a source in the Southern Command said that “our goal is for Israelis who live near the border to be able to open the window and see … IDF soldiers protecting them.” He added that the IDF is preparing “for any scenario, including surprises.”

Israel National Mine Action Authority Clears More Than 200 Mines in Golan Heights: On Monday, the Israel Defense Ministry reported on mine-clearing operations in the Golan Heights, where the Israel National Mine Action Authority (INMAA) has cleared more than 200 mines in the past two weeks in an area of some 12.5 acres. The INMAA clears mines and unexploded ordnance throughout Israel year-round in order to enable the development — residential, commercial, or industrial — of areas suspected of containing mines. The Defense Ministry notes that the INMAA has cleared more than 1,600 acres of land across Israel in the past year. Since the INMAA started operations in the Golan Heights, it has cleared about 105 acres and carried out controlled explosions of more than 4,500 anti-tank mines placed there in the late 1980s. The report includes footage of mine-clearing explosions.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, FDD Event

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“‘Shared Challenges’: Israel Considers Sending Russian Weapons Seized From Hezbollah to Ukraine,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“During Ongoing Jenin Operation, IDF Eliminates Terrorists Who Killed Three Israelis,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief