IDF Completes Operation to Destroy Hezbollah Tunnels on Ali Taher Ridge

The Israeli military has concluded a complex, four-month operation to destroy Hezbollah's strategic underground infrastructure on the Ali Taher Ridge, a significant Hezbollah stronghold supported by Iran's Quds Force. The operation involved a sophisticated ground maneuver, including crossing the Litani River with commando and Yahalom (elite engineering) units, employing deception tactics to surprise Hezbollah fighters and force their withdrawal north.

According to Israeli military officials, Hezbollah was caught off guard by the IDF's ruse. Those who remained in the area, either in underground positions or on the periphery, were eliminated by ground and air forces. The IDF's Technological and Logistics Directorate was commended for providing advanced capabilities that enabled the ground operation and consolidation of forces.

A senior officer described the challenge of confronting dozens of Hezbollah operatives entrenched underground in the exposed terrain of the ridge, which served as a large military outpost. Over several months, the IDF systematically dismantled Hezbollah's intelligence gathering and sabotage capabilities, encountering significant "fog of war" and eventually finding many Hezbollah fighters already deceased within the tunnels.

Engineering forces detonated approximately 1,100 tons of explosives to collapse the tunnel network, a process described as the most complex operation in the past three years of conflict. The IDF recovered documents, intelligence, and weaponry from the tunnels. The military is now re-establishing its presence in the area, deploying forces to prevent any resurgence of Hezbollah or other groups along the border, and enforcing a security zone.

The operation aimed to inflict a heavy price on Hezbollah, which failed to defend the infrastructure despite vowing to do so at all costs. The IDF has asserted operational control over the Ali Taher and Tibnit areas.