IDF 401st Armored Brigade kills Hezbollah operative emerging from south Lebanon tunnel; weapons and maps seized

Troops of the 401st Armored Brigade in southern Lebanon spotted a Hezbollah operative as he emerged from a tunnel during recent operations and opened fire on IDF forces on 27 March 2026. The troops quickly engaged the gunman and killed him; no IDF injuries were reported. The elite Yahalom combat engineering unit then scanned the tunnel and located weapons, military equipment, and maps inside. The incident follows the Givati Brigade's discovery earlier the same day of a Hezbollah tunnel with three new shafts beneath a church in Khiam. Together the two incidents demonstrate Hezbollah's ongoing use of tunnel networks in southern Lebanon for offensive operations even as IDF ground forces operate in the area.