Israel has been hammering Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon, and now the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are releasing images and videos revealing the results of these operations. The IDF states that they've been ongoing for almost a year - which would have the beginning of these operations happening right about the time of the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The IDF has also reported that a large number of Hezbollah fighters were, late in 2023, poised to make an Oct 7-style attack into northern Israel.

Israel has revealed its special operations commandos have been destroying Hezbollah terror cells inside Lebanon for the past year — and that nearly 3,000 terrorists were ready to invade the Jewish state after Oct. 7.

Israeli forces have carried out 70 small raids that have destroyed Hezbollah tunnels and weapons bases in southern Lebanon since the beginning of the war, according to military spokesman Daniel Hagari.

The revelation comes just hours after Israel said it launched a ground invasion of its northern neighbor, which it described as “limited” in scope and designed to destroy Hezbollah’s ability to strike northern Israel.

It's unclear what constitutes a small raid, or what precisely deterred the 3,000 terrorists from invading Israel, unless it was their already being under the guns of the IDF special operations forces, who are no doubt on the Hezbollah "don't mess with" list. These raids are, reportedly, largely in preparation for a larger-scale ground attack into Lebanon. But for Israel, destroying Hezbollah's arms caches is always worth doing.

“Our soldiers entered Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure; exposed Hezbollah’s hidden weapons caches and seized and destroyed the weapons including advanced, Iranian-made weapons,” Hagari said of the previous attacks.

He added: “The operations that we de-classified tonight are only a small number of dozens of operations that we will reveal going forward, including the destruction of Hezbollah’s strategic assets and capabilities.”

These kinds of operations typically involve a great deal of planning, coordination, and logistical support, often requiring separate units to strike different targets simultaneously. Meanwhile, as noted earlier on Tuesday, Iran is treading close to a dangerous escalation:

Previously on RedState: LIVE UPDATES: Iran Launches Missile Attack Against Israel

UPDATED: At Least Eight Dead in Tel Aviv Attack, One Terrorist May Still Be on the Loose

More details and videos were released by the X account of Open Source Intel (@Osint613):

Here are the full details that can now be shared regarding the IDF's covert operations in southern Lebanese villages over recent months:

- More than 70 special operations took place, with IDF forces spending over 200 nights inside enemy territory in southern Lebanon.
- Some… pic.twitter.com/iookwLPe4N

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 1, 2024

For Israel and the IDF, clearly, the gloves are off, and liable to remain off. Even so, dismantling all of Hezbollah's (and Hamas') weapons caches as well as neutralizing all of their fighters is a considerable task, and what's more, unless the leadership of those organizations is likewise neutralized - and I think we all understand what "neutralized" means in this context - the conflict will only be postponed.

The elephant in the room remains - and it's Iran. The Islamic Republic is already escalating with the latest missile attack. They have been providing weapons and resources. There are three possible paths forward: An endless continuation of the current proxy war between Iran and Israel, an outright total war between the two - which will likely escalate - or some kind of regime change in Iran, resulting in the cessation of Iranian support for Islamic terror groups. The last option would be the best for everyone involved, but it also seems like the least likely, given recent events. Time will tell.