Israeli military reports strike against Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said Sunday it carried out an airstrike against a Hezbollah militant cell and declared full control of a strategic area in southern Lebanon.

The military said its soldiers spotted a Hezbollah cell early Sunday near the Al-Uqaydah area, close to the Israeli-patrolled "security zone."

It said the militants' activity "posed a threat" to its troops, prompting a strike to neutralize the target.

Earlier in the day, Lebanon's National News Agency reported Israeli warplanes hit the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, and Israeli forces conducted demolition explosions and artillery shelling in several border areas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that its Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the Beaufort Ridge area, which the Israeli forces captured in May. Zamir said the Israeli forces have taken full control of key terrain, including both surface areas and underground tunnel networks.

During the field visit, Zamir urged the Lebanese authorities to take actions to remove Hezbollah militants and military infrastructure from the region. He also threatened "swift offensive" from the IDF if the ceasefire agreement is breached.

Israel and Lebanon reached a U.S.-brokered framework agreement for "lasting peace and security" in late June, despite repeated failures to uphold previous ceasefire agreements between the two neighbors.

China's central bank on Monday started conducting an outright reverse repo operation of 1-trillion-yuan (about 146.96 billion U.S. dollars) to maintain ample liquidity in the banking system.

With a fixed quantity, the operation will be carried out through interest-rate bidding, with winning bids determined at various price levels. It will have a tenor of three months, or 91 days, with a maturity date of Oct. 5, according to the central bank.

Outright reverse repo operations -- a tool the central bank introduced in Oct 2024 to manage liquidity in the national banking system -- are conducted each month with a tenor of no more than one year.

These operations have enriched the country's monetary policy toolkit, complementing previous measures such as temporary repos, temporary reverse repos, and the purchase and sale of treasury bonds.