The Israel Defense Forces is poised to launch an offensive against Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, one of the terror group’s strongholds, an IDF official said Thursday.

The senior officer’s announcement came as one of the terror group’s drones moderately injured an IDF soldier in south Lebanon.

Israel has recently stepped up its offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah amid anger in northern Israel that months of fighting have not brought quiet to border communities that face rocket and drone attacks.

The IDF’s 36th Division pushed deeper into southern Lebanon in recent days and is now operating on the outskirts of Arnoun, a village just a few kilometers from Nabatieh, according to the senior officer.

According to the military official, who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity, the division conducted clandestine operations along the Litani River ahead of the push, building a new bridge to cross the waterway in a valley that was not under surveillance by the terror group. Once the bridge was built, armored vehicles were able to cross and quickly advance northward undetected.

Nabatieh is northwest of Beaufort Castle, which the IDF retook late last month after evacuating it 26 years ago.

The official said that depending on the decisions of Israeli leaders, the division could advance further north, into Nabatieh, or alternatively head west and continue operations against the terror group along the Litani River.

“Hezbollah is retreating, but it is holding on to the Nabatieh line, where it really wants to prevent our occupation,” the official said, adding that the goal of either operation would be to further weaken Hezbollah.

The IDF also said on Thursday that it carried out a raid in the Wadi Saluki stream area to draw Hezbollah’s attention there, with the push catching the group by surprise.

In an official statement, the military said it achieved “operational control” over the Wadi Saluki stream area, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border.

Troops of the 7th Armored Brigade and Egoz Commando Unit “completed an operation to achieve operational control and clear the area north of the Saluki stream” of Hezbollah infrastructure, the IDF said.

The IDF said the operation is part of its efforts “to strengthen operational control in southern Lebanon and remove the direct threat to the [Israeli border] communities of the Galilee Panhandle and Metula.”

“The........

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