IDF Captures Hezbollah Drone Base and Disrupts Hamas Network

The Israel Defense Forces conducted a series of high-impact operations across Lebanon and Gaza, dismantling critical militant infrastructure and financial networks. In southern Lebanon, troops from the 551st Brigade and Yahalom unit captured a 200-meter-long underground drone factory in Majdal Zoun. Built with Iranian funding, the facility reached depths of 29 meters and featured 12 rooms and four launch shafts for UAVs with 500-kilometer ranges. During the month-long operation, the IDF killed more than 20 Hezbollah terrorists, including 10 members of the elite Radwan Force. However, the military also reported the deaths of four soldiers from the 52nd Armored Battalion in Kfar Tebnit.

Simultaneously, the IDF targeted Hamas's financial architecture. On June 17, airstrikes in southern Gaza killed operatives Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra. The pair managed a network of couriers and money changers in Turkey and Gaza that transferred over 500 million shekels to Hamas's military wing, violating a ceasefire agreement from October 2025. The Israel Security Agency further exposed a five-person Hamas network based in Turkey used for recruiting and smuggling weapons into Israel and the West Bank.

These developments coincided with heightened diplomatic friction between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with Netanyahu accusing the Turkish leader of supporting Hamas. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir described the current ceasefire as shaky, maintaining that the military remains prepared to renew offensive actions to thwart regional threats.