The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated a terrorist cell at a site in a Christian area in southern Lebanon on Monday, officials reported.

In an update on Operation Roaring Lion, the IDF said that the broad joint operation was to “thoroughly degrade the Iranian terrorist regime and to remove existential threats to Israel over time.”

“The Iranian regime has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel,” the statement said. “The regime has continued financing, training and arming its proxies positioned on Israel’s borders. These actions constitute an existential threat to Israel and pose a danger to the Middle East and the world as a whole.”

The IDF added that troops from the 300th Brigade, under the command of the 146th Division, are operating in southern Lebanon as part of a forward defensive effort.

“During an activity, the forces identified a Hezbollah terrorist cell entering a site in a Christian area in southern Lebanon,” the statement said.

“Following the identification, the troops directed an Israeli Air Force fighter jet, which struck and eliminated the terrorist cell,” it continued, adding that the “presence of terrorists in the area constitutes another example of the cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity by Hezbollah.”