Destruction of Dahiyeh? IDF continues intense pounding, says most weapons storage and missile production sites are destroyed

IDF: Storage of weapons and ammunition beneath civilian homes 'directly endangers' civilians

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In recent days, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have intensified their operations in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, successfully destroying the majority of the group’s weapons storage and missile manufacturing facilities as part of “Operation Northern Arrows.”

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out several intelligence-driven strikes targeting Hezbollah's command centers and arms depots in Dahiyeh. The IDF emphasized that Hezbollah has "systematically embedded its terrorist infrastructure behind the Lebanese civilian population," prompting the military to take extensive measures to protect civilians.

These measures included issuing multiple evacuation warnings to residents, with IDF Arabic Spokesman Avichay Adraee instructing residents to vacate certain areas ahead of the airstrikes on Wednesday morning.

Over the past 20 years, Hezbollah has established numerous weapons production and storage sites within Dahiyeh, often constructing them beneath civilian buildings. These facilities have been used to manufacture and store missiles and rockets intended for use against Israel.

Extensive intelligence efforts by the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate have mapped these locations, enabling the IAF to execute precise strikes. Recent attacks have resulted in multiple secondary explosions, confirming the presence of weapons and ammunition within the targeted sites.

These ongoing strikes are part of the IDF's broader strategy to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah's military capabilities, ensuring greater security in the region.

Israel first exposed the location of one of the primary Hezbollah sites targeted in the recent strikes to the attendees of the UN General Assembly in 2020. The site was built in the heart of the Choueifat neighborhood, beneath a complex of five residential buildings that housed about 50 families and is located just 85 meters (93 yards) from a school.

Reminder 1: we operate according to precise intelligence.

Reminder 2: we exposed this missile production site 5 years ago, and warned the approx. 50 families living there to move away from the area.

Today we can say this site has been dismantled. https://t.co/kaXXGhqT5w
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 12, 2024

This site was built to produce weapon components, including those used in long-range precision missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel. These missiles are a central element of Hezbollah's precision missile project, funded by the Iranian government.

The IDF said that while it conducts targeted strikes using precision-guided ordinance, when possible, it makes extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians. As part of this, warnings and calls for civilian evacuations are issued before the strikes.

Adraee has issued multiple warnings to residents of the Dahiyeh neighborhood over the past couple of days, warning them to evacuate ahead of strikes to avoid a danger zone.

#عاجل 1/2 إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في المناطق التالية:
🔸حارة حريك
🔸الغبيري

⭕️أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني… pic.twitter.com/ffCfGjve19
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 13, 2024

The IDF said that Hezbollah’s method of storing weapons beneath civilian buildings “directly endangers the residents of Beirut…often without their knowledge.”

The military said the strategy was “starkly demonstrated in the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, which took place due to the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a component used in Hezbollah’s weapon production process. The ammonium was deliberately stored at the port, leading to a devastating explosion that resulted in the deaths of approximately 190 civilians and injuries to thousands more.”

Several additional strikes in Dahiyeh were reported by locals in Beirut as this article was being written.