JERUSALEM, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its troops had dismantled over 540 Hezbollah infrastructure sites during operations in southern Lebanon over recent weeks, and destroyed three Hamas weapon storage facilities across the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the military said it operated in the areas of Khiam, Tayr Harfa, Meiss el-Jabal and Majdal Zoun, destroying weapons storage facilities and seizing more than 150 weapons, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives.
It did not report any casualties or specify when the operations took place.
Israel has maintained troops in parts of southern Lebanon following renewed fighting with Hezbollah in March. Lebanon has demanded their withdrawal, while Israel has insisted that Hezbollah be disarmed.
The announcement came as Lebanese and Israeli delegations were scheduled to meet in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday for U.S.-mediated talks on Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement with the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the Israeli military said that it had destroyed three Hamas weapons storage facilities in strikes across the Gaza Strip last Thursday.
The facilities contained dozens of weapons, including rockets, rocket launchers, RPGs and assault rifles, they said.
The statement did not specify the locations of the strikes or report any casualties. It said civilians had been warned in advance and that precision munitions and aerial surveillance were used to reduce the risk of civilian harm.
The strikes came despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. At least 1,522 Palestinians have been killed and 5,421 injured by Israeli fire since then, according to Gaza health authorities, bringing the total Palestinian toll to at least 74,480 people since October 2023. ■
