IDF Attacks Underground Drone Facilities in Beirut

Katz added, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to strike this evening and destroy buildings used for the production and storage of UAVs by the Hezbollah terror organization in the heart of the Dahieh district of Beirut. Residents of these buildings have already received evacuation notices. We will continue to enforce the ceasefire terms uncompromisingly. We hold the Lebanese government directly responsible for preventing violations of the ceasefire and any terrorist activity against the State of Israel.” 

Adraee addressed residents living near Hezbollah sites, warning, “You are located near facilities belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah. For your safety and that of your families, you must immediately evacuate these buildings and distance yourselves by at least 300 meters [984 ft].” 

The IDF statement said Hezbollah’s aerial unit, known as Unit 127, was working to produce thousands of UAVs under the direction and funding of Iranian terror elements. It noted that after extensive use of UAVs in recent attacks against Israel, Hezbollah has been ramping up its drone production in preparation for a future war. 

The operation marks what is expected to be the IDF's most extensive and significant strike in Lebanon since the ceasefire. While no restrictions have been placed on Israel’s home front, the alert level of the country’s air defense network has been raised in anticipation of a possible Hezbollah response. 

Lebanese and Saudi media reported that the Lebanese army entered buildings in Dahieh to prevent the strikes, following orders from Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal. However, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar later reported that the army had withdrawn from the threatened buildings. 

Although the IDF has been striking targets in Lebanon almost daily, the last attack in Dahieh occurred on April 27. After three warning shots, the military targeted what Lebanon referred to as the “Victory Tent,” a missile storage facility. According to a joint statement from Netanyahu and Katz, the site housed precision missiles belonging to Hezbollah. Israel notified the United States ahead of the strike. 

On April 1, Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah operative in Dahieh. According to the IDF and the Shin Bet security agency, the operative had recently been guiding Hamas operatives in plotting an imminent large-scale terror attack against Israeli civilians. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported four fatalities and seven injuries in the strike. The target, Hassan Ali Mahmoud Bdeir, was identified as a member of Hezbollah’s Unit 3900 and the Iranian Quds Force. The IDF, Shin Bet and Mossad jointly stated that he was aiding Hamas in planning the attack. 

Earlier, on March 28, the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Dahieh for the first time since the ceasefire, destroying a building after two rockets were fired at Kiryat Shmona. The IDF said the target was a UAV storage facility used by Hezbollah’s Unit 127. Prior to the strike, Adraee issued an evacuation warning, prompting panic in Dahiyeh. Dramatic footage showed the targeted building collapsing as bombs hit in sequence.