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 major underground Hezbollah command complex. Elite commando units and the Yahalom engineering corps successfully surrounded approximately 50 Hezbollah operatives trapped in tunnels, neutralizing them and seizing weapons and equipment. The operation, which culminated in the detonation of the tunnels on Thursday, targeted the central command center of Hezbollah's Badr unit, a strategic infrastructure developed over two decades with Iranian funding and planning.
During the operation, dozens of Hezbollah fighters were killed, according to Colonel M., commander of the Egoz unit. He described the complex as Hezbollah's "command center," from which they managed operations. The fighters were determined to hold the facility due to its importance. The IDF forces gradually advanced, mapping tunnel entrances and navigating areas heavily laden with explosives. "We started by creating a siege around the entire ridge area. We began mapping all the tunnel entrances, little by little," said Colonel M. "We started in certain stages to enter the underground, and move step by step through the entire area, an area full of explosives."
Commanders described the intense close-quarters combat within the tunnels, with some Hezbollah fighters killed attempting to escape. The IDF also intercepted attempts by Hezbollah to resupply its operatives using drones, leading to a decision to tighten the siege. Major B., a company commander in Egoz, likened the battle to a game of chess, stating, "You make a move, they make a move, you make a move, they make a move. And slowly we developed various techniques on how to defeat them in the best way. And the best way was to create a siege."
In parallel, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi visited the Northern Command, emphasizing that Israel will not agree to an agreement to disarm Hezbollah without a significant improvement in the Lebanese army's operational effectiveness. He stated that the IDF is determined to prevent Hezbollah from rearming or re-establishing terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon. "We will not allow Hezbollah to re-arm, restore its capabilities, or re-establish terror infrastructure in the area," Kochavi asserted, highlighting the impressive capabilities demonstrated during the operation that saved soldiers' lives.
