Key facts
- Israel destroyed a major Hezbollah underground tunnel network beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.
- A 4.1 magnitude tremor was recorded in the area.
- The tunnel network was described as strategic terrorist infrastructure built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning.
- The Israeli army stated the network stretched for more than two kilometers and contained rockets, missiles, drones, and other explosives.
- The complex also housed a command center for Hezbollah's "Badr" unit.
- Israel announced last week that its forces had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge.
Israel announced Thursday it demolished a significant Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, an operation that coincided with a 4.1 magnitude tremor recorded in the region. The Iran-backed Hezbollah group's infrastructure was described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz as "strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning."
The destruction "completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge -- above and below ground," their joint statement added. The United States Geological Survey reported the tremor, while Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) described a "massive explosion" on the ridge that caused tremors and a powerful rumble.
AFP journalists in south Lebanon also reported hearing "huge explosions." Joelle Fares, a resident of Majayoun, told AFP, "We were sitting there and everything shook."
The Israeli army stated the Hezbollah infrastructure extended for more than two kilometers and contained "dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices." The underground compound also included a command centre of Hezbollah's "Badr" unit, according to the army.
A military official told AFP that some militants had abandoned the area, while others were "eliminated by aerial strikes and artillery fire." Israel had announced last week that it captured the Ali al-Taher ridge.
Hezbollah entered the wider regional war in support of Iran in March. While there had been a lull in violence following an understanding between Iran and the United States in June, and an agreement between Lebanon and Israel, strikes have intensified in recent days. The United States had proposed that the Lebanese army take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge during negotiations, but Hezbollah refused, according to a source close to the parties. Beirut authorities state that Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people in total since March.