IDF operations in southern Lebanon and US military moves
IDF finds Hezbollah weapons in civilian homes as US Defense Secretary Hegseth visits Israel.
IDF operations in southern Lebanon and US military moves — Tuesday, the IDF announced it found RPG and anti-tank missile launchers in a civilian home in the village of Tallousa in southern Lebanon.[^1] The IDF's 401st Brigade has killed over 20 Hezbollah terrorists and destroyed over 90 terror infrastructure sites there.[^1] Over the past month, the IDF found over 150 weapons in the nearby village of Hadatha.[^1] On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visited troops at Beaufort Ridge, describing Hezbollah as "exhausted" and reliant on Iran.[^2] Meanwhile, the US Armed Forces decided to move 32 of approximately 60–72 refueling aircraft from Ben-Gurion Airport to stabilize air traffic.[^3] US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to arrive in Israel today (Wednesday) and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.[^4] Netanyahu visited the Haifa naval base yesterday, emphasizing the need to secure shipping routes. The US revoked a permit for Iranian oil sales, citing violations in the Strait of Hormuz, after two oil tankers were attacked there on July 7. Oil prices rose by more than 5%. Arab sector violence, drug driving, and trafficking enforcement gaps dominate crime news — A man about 50 years old was shot dead in the village of Jadeida Makr this evening, and a man about 30 was seriously wounded, marking the 150th murder in the Arab sector in 2026.[^1] The killing comes as Israel Police launched a major operation in northern Israel on Tuesday, seizing over 30 vehicles and dozens of weapons in Sakhnin, Arrabe, Deir Hanna, and Kafr Manda. Police Commissioner Danny Levy described the effort as cutting off 'the economic oxygen supply of those who perpetrate crime on Arab streets.'[^2] The operation involved the Tax Authority and the Shin Bet, signaling a multi-agency push against organized crime that has claimed 154 victims since the start of the year. In the Lod District Court today, Maxim Savag was convicted of reckless manslaughter of Vladimir Dundotsko in a June 2022 Highway 6 crash. Judge Efrat Pink determined that 'the evidence clearly shows the defendant drove under the influence of cocaine.'[^3] Savag mad