The terrorist group Hezbollah and Iran have built a precision-missile factory in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, the IDF said on Tuesday.
In a statement to media accompanied by satellite images, the army said that Hezbollah, with Iranian assistance, had been bringing specialized equipment to a weapons factory near the Beqaa village of al-Nabi Sheet with a view to setting up a production line for precision-guidance missiles.
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The IDF said the factory was of "superior importance" to Hezbollah. An official, speaking anonymously under military rules, said that the factory is operational but missing major components.
There was no immediate Hezbollah response to the IDF's announcement, which came just days after heightened tension between the two foes.
Israel has recently expressed concerns that Hezbollah and Iran are pursuing a missile-production industry in Lebanon. On Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied Israeli claims that the Iranian proxy group did not "have factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon."
The announcement came days after Israel and Hezbollah traded fire for the first time in years. Hezbollah launched anti-tank missiles at an Israeli armored vehicle near the border, causing no casualties. Israel retaliated with artillery fire into southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said the attack was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike near Damascus last month that killed two of its members. Israel said the attack thwarted an Iranian-orchestrated drone attack squad. Days after the airstrike, Hezbollah said that two Israeli attack drones crash-landed in Beirut.
Israeli media reported that the drones targeted a facility housing a "planetary mixer," a large industrial machine that is critical to making missiles.
Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the Beirut drone strike, which a regional security source said hit a component of the precision-guided missile project.
Hoping to move Beirut to rein in Hezbollah, Israel has signaled that in any further flare-up it could carry out widespread attacks in Lebanon.
