Israeli troops captured three additional Hezbollah terrorists from the Lebanese terror group's Radwan Force unit during Tuesday's operation, which also saw the arrest of a Radwan Force commander, according to a Wednesday KAN News report.
During the same operation reported on by The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, in which Radwan commander Wadah Kamal Yunis was captured, the IDF had also arrested three Hezbollah terrorists from the Radwan unit inside a tunnel in southern Lebanon, according to a Wednesday KAN News report.
The Tuesday arrests happened after several hours of negotiations, during which the terrorists surrendered after realizing that the IDF was about to enter the tunnel where they were hiding, KAN News noted.
Yunis told investigators that after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, many members of the group, including local commanders, fled. Yunis described the Radwan unit as "unbelievers, people without religion" who came to receive money and ran away because they feared the IDF.
He also mentioned that they had planned to retaliate against an attack and move into Israel’s Galilee region, but after Nasrallah's death, those members had stopped showing up.
Underground Radwan lodging and storage complex
Yunis and the three other Hezbollah Radwan members were captured at a network of shafts and underground infrastructure that included areas for lodging and equipment storage, which the IDF had recently raided and uncovered a large cache of weapons.
According to the IDF, these facilities were intended for use by Hezbollah’s Radwan members in the event of an operation aimed at the "conquest of the Galilee." The infrastructure was at the heart of a village, beneath Lebanese civilian homes that Hezbollah terrorists had exploited.
The complex was destroyed by Task Force 8 and Yahalom Unit forces on Wednesday morning.
Before the underground complex was destroyed, Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram conducted a situational assessment on Tuesday with Brigadier General Shai Kalper of the Galilee Division, Colonel Dori Saar of the "Zaken" Brigade, and Colonel A, commander of the Yahalom Unit, as he met with soldiers engaged in ground operations in southern Lebanon.
During his visit, Baram toured the underground complex, and stated,"For years, Division 91 and the Northern Command have prepared for defense and containment against what Hezbollah called the 'conquest of the Galilee.' It’s powerful and pride-inducing that we are now fighting in the very area from which they planned to attack us—destroying their infrastructure and plans. This is how it should be done; there’s no other way. Continue with quality, meaningful operational actions that will have an impact on us and the Middle East for years to come."
Four more terrorists captured
Previously, it has been reported that in two different operations, Hezbollah terrorists were captured inside tunnels. The first operation was announced on Sunday when IDF soldiers arrested a terrorist hiding in a tunnel with various weapons and supplies for extended stays.
According to KAN News, in another operation, Battalion 13 of the IDF’s Golani Brigade found the entrance to the tunnel in a Hezbollah building with terrorists operating inside and surrounded it. The three terrorists inside surrendered and were taken into custody. They were first interrogated by field investigators from Unit 504 in military intelligence and then moved to a detention facility for further questioning in Israel.
Along with the terrorists, a large amount of weapons and equipment for extended stays was discovered. All three suspects cooperated with their interrogations, providing important information to Israeli authorities.