– The drone attack occurred overnight on July 29 (Wednesday) at Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon
– An IDF engineering vehicle (D9 armored bulldozer) was struck
– The IDF called it a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire
– No casualties reported
– This is the first such attack since the framework agreement began in late June
– Hezbollah has not commented as of publication time
– IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited troops and said the military is prepared for war to continue
– Israel is deliberating a response
– The incident occurred in the Israeli-controlled security zone about 10 kilometers inside southern Lebanon
Here’s the article:
An IDF engineering vehicle was struck overnight by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah near the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said Wednesday, describing the attack as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The vehicle was hit while troops were conducting a patrol in the area, where forces from the IDF’s 36th Division are operating within the Israeli-controlled security zone, and following an examination of the incident, the IDF determined that Hezbollah had launched an explosive drone toward the vehicle.
No casualties were reported.
Israeli media, citing a security source, indicated that officials were weighing a response, identifying the vehicle as a D9 armored bulldozer that caught fire after the strike.
“Overnight (Wednesday), Hezbollah launched an explosive drone toward an IDF engineering vehicle in the area of Ali Al-Taher Ridge within the Security Zone,” the military said in a statement, calling the incident “a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
The IDF statement continued, “The forces continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists to advance or carry out terror attacks.”
The latest incident appears to mark the first use of an explosive drone by Hezbollah against an Israeli vehicle since the current ceasefire began, according to the initial Israeli assessment.
During a visit to southern Lebanon, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military is prepared for the war to continue on any front, telling officers: “The campaign across all fronts is not yet over, and you must be prepared for it to continue. We are prepared for any change in the situation and ready for a wide range of scenarios.”
Israel says Hezbollah has a massive underground complex under the Ali Taher Ridge, near Nabatieh, and the IDF estimates that dozens of operatives are holed up in the area, but because of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is prevented from capturing the underground passages beneath the ridge.
Separately, the IDF said troops from the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion and Yahalom, the military’s elite combat engineering unit, destroyed an underground Hezbollah command post in the village of Hadatha.
Lebanese media reported artillery shelling around Ali Taher Ridge and Nabatieh Al-Fawqa in Nabatieh District, bulldozing near Kfar Shouba in Hasbaya District, drone strikes on Yater in Bint Jbeil District, and explosions near Majdal Zoun in Tyre District, alongside reconnaissance flights over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any attacks since June 20.
Under a U.S.-sponsored agreement signed last month, the Lebanese army is expected to disarm Hezbollah while Israeli forces withdraw from designated “pilot zones.”
In the viral moment that set off the 2026 Lebanon war,
Hezbollah fired projectiles towards Israel from Lebanon in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting retaliatory strikes by the IDF.
Hezbollah said that it targeted the Mishmar HaCarmel missile defence site in the vicinity of Haifa, and later claimed that the attack was a “defensive act” after over a year of Israeli attacks despite a truce.
Israel has been occupying almost 20 percent of Lebanese territory in the south and has killed more than 4,000 people since fighting erupted on March 2.
Israel is currently deliberating a response to the violation of the ceasefire, according to security officials.