IDF Destroys Hezbollah Tunnels in Southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday evening detonated tunnels located in the Ali Taher mountain range in southern Lebanon. According to statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the operation destroyed Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the area, completing the establishment of a security zone in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu and Katz described the tunnels as a "strategic terror infrastructure built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning," intended to serve as a base for conquering the Galilee and controlling observation and fire over Metula and Kiryat Shmona. They stated that their destruction achieves operational control over the Ali Taher range, both above and below ground.

The IDF announced that its forces are preparing for defense in the area and to prevent Hezbollah's return. "The IDF will remain in the security zone, continue to destroy terror infrastructure, and thwart any attempt by the Hezbollah terror organization to re-establish itself and restore its capabilities," the statement read. An IDF spokesperson added that the tunnels were destroyed following extensive preparatory work by forces from Division 36, aimed at "permanently neutralizing Hezbollah's ability to plan and execute terror routes against Israeli civilians and IDF forces from within these infrastructures."