IDF Commandos Dismantle Hezbollah's Underground "Command Center" in Three-Month Operation

Israeli forces have concluded a three-month covert operation on the Ali Taher ridge, dismantling a significant underground Hezbollah command complex. Elite commando units and the Yahalom engineering corps successfully surrounded approximately 50 Hezbollah operatives trapped in tunnels, neutralizing their attempts to resupply via drones. The operation culminated on Thursday with the demolition of the tunnels.

According to Colonel M., commander of the Egoz unit, dozens of militants were killed during the extensive operation. The underground facility, described as Hezbollah's "command center" by Lieutenant Colonel D. of Yahalom, was reportedly built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning. It served as a central hub from which Hezbollah managed combat operations, with militants fiercely defending the strategic asset.

The operation involved meticulous mapping of tunnel entrances and navigating through heavily booby-trapped areas. "We began by encircling the entire ridge area, mapping all the tunnel entrances, and then gradually entering the underground, moving step by step through the entire area, an area saturated with explosives," explained Colonel M. He described the process of gaining control as turning the tables, making the militants the hunted.

During the siege, Israeli forces discovered Hezbollah's use of drones for resupplying the trapped fighters. "We decided there was no more. A siege is a siege until the end," stated Major B., a company commander in Egoz, comparing the engagement to a chess match where each move was countered.

In a related development, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi visited the northern border, emphasizing that Israel will not advance a disarmament agreement with Hezbollah through the Lebanese government unless the Lebanese army significantly improves its operational effectiveness. He stated that Israel is determined to prevent Hezbollah from rearming or re-establishing terror infrastructure in the southern Lebanon region.