BINT JBEIL, LEBANON (VINnews) – Israeli forces raided a government hospital in southern Lebanon on Sunday where Hezbollah operatives had been using the facility for military purposes, killing approximately 20 gunmen and seizing a cache of weapons, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The operation targeted the Bint Jbeil Governmental Hospital, a site the IDF said Hezbollah had systematically exploited in violation of international law.

Troops from the Givati Brigade first identified Hezbollah military activity at the hospital last week. In recent days, soldiers observed terror operatives conducting surveillance from inside the building before the gunmen opened fire on Israeli forces, the military said.

“Within a short time, the troops eliminated the terrorists,” the IDF stated. “In addition, approximately 20 terrorists were targeted and eliminated in the hospital area to remove an immediate threat.”

Following the exchange, forces entered the medical center and discovered weapons belonging to Hezbollah.

“The Hezbollah terror organization systematically and continuously used the hospital compound and its immediate surroundings for the military purposes of the terror organization, in severe violation of international law,” the IDF said.

The military noted it had previously warned Lebanese authorities that all military activity in hospitals must stop and publicized those warnings. Hezbollah continued using the site despite the alerts, according to the IDF.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of embedding military infrastructure in civilian facilities, including hospitals and ambulances, throughout the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon. Bint Jbeil, a longtime Hezbollah stronghold, has seen intensified Israeli operations in recent days as forces work to clear terror infrastructure from the area.

No immediate comment was available from Hezbollah or Lebanese officials on the latest raid. Lebanese media have reported fierce clashes in Bint Jbeil in recent days but did not confirm details of the hospital operation.

The incident comes amid continued cross-border fighting, with Israel pressing operations to dismantle Hezbollah’s capabilities in southern Lebanon.