The Israel Defense Forces this week struck a Hamas training compound located in the heart of Ain al-Hilweh, southeast of Sidon in southwestern Lebanon, the military confirmed Friday.

Thirteen terrorists were killed in Tuesday's strike, including Jawad Sidawi, whom the IDF described as being involved in training operatives to carry out attacks from Lebanese territory against Israelis.

"Lebanon pledged to disarm the armed factions in the Palestinian camps, yet the terrorist organizations continue to cynically exploit the population and civilian infrastructure for terror purposes," the IDF said.

"Despite the denials of Hamas, the training facility is clear proof of the organization's attempts to establish itself in Lebanon," it added.

The military said it took steps ahead of the strike to reduce the risk to civilians, including deploying precision munitions, conducting aerial surveillance and gathering additional intelligence.

"The IDF is operating against Hamas' establishment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate," it said.

The Hamas facility in Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian "refugee camp," was used by the terrorist group for "training and exercises to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel," according to the army statement.

Hamas claimed in a statement that the site was an open sports field frequented by local youths and that there were no "military" installations within the camp.

However, IDF Arabic Spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee exposed the claim as a lie, providing documentation on X of a Hamas invitation for young people to join its activities, with one of the listed registration centers being the training complex that was targeted.

"Last night, we precisely targeted a training and qualification complex affiliated with Hamas in Lebanon, which was part of a plan to carry out attacks against Israel. We targeted the complex to which Hamas has called its 'youth' on more than one occasion to join its terrorist ranks. It was not a peaceful complex as they claimed in the media," Adraee wrote.

"As for the lies, slander and talk of a 'massacre,' it is nothing but a desperate attempt by Hamas and some Lebanese parties to cover up the real terrorism," he continued.

On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist in the At-Tiri area of southeastern Lebanon, the military said.

The terrorist had been involved in "efforts to reestablish Hezbollah's readiness in the area," the IDF stated. "His actions constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

Separately, the IDF on Wednesday said that Hezbollah "has been working to rebuild its capabilities in the village of Beit Lif in Southern Lebanon, in a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

IDF troops have identified "dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of the village, including headquarters and weapons storage facilities belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Hezbollah places these inside the civilian homes of the village's residents and adjacent to civilian buildings and facilities," the statement read.

The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. The ceasefire, which went into effect on Nov. 27, ended more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began attacks on Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas' invasion of southern Israel.

Beirut's Supreme Defense Council on May 2 urged Hamas to cease its terrorist operations in the country, saying it compromised "Lebanon's sovereignty."

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Mustafa, the body's secretary, announced that the council decided to recommend that parliament issue a warning to Hamas terrorists not to use Lebanese territory to carry out actions that could jeopardize the country's stability, under penalty of "strict measures" against them.

This JNS.org report was republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.