IDF Chief Visits Bofor Ridge Tunnel, Declares Hezbollah Defeated in Every Battle

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited the Bofor Ridge area on Sunday, inspecting an underground Hezbollah tunnel and meeting with troops operating in southern Lebanon. He was accompanied by Northern Command Chief Major General Rafi Milo, 36th Division Commander Brigadier General Yiftah Nurkin, and commanders of Golani, Commando, and 7th Brigades, as well as the Combat Engineering Corps commander. During the visit, Zamir conducted an operational assessment and emphasized that the Bofor Ridge is a strategically controlled area dense with Hezbollah terror infrastructure. He noted that Hezbollah, backed and funded by Iran, has spent decades constructing extensive underground routes carved deep into the mountain to threaten northern Israeli communities and to serve as command centers, firing positions, and terror routes. Zamir stressed that Israeli forces maintain control over key surface areas and the subterranean routes beneath them.

The Chief of Staff called on the Lebanese Army to fulfill its obligations under the historic agreement to clear the area of Hezbollah militants and terror infrastructure. He affirmed that the IDF will continue its determined efforts to eliminate threats from Lebanese territory and is prepared to launch a swift offensive should the ceasefire be violated. Zamir highlighted that operations in Bofor Ridge and southern Lebanon adhere to the agreement's principles and mechanisms, aiming to protect northern Israeli residents. He reiterated that any threat against Israeli forces or communities will be immediately countered and neutralized.

Concluding his remarks, Zamir praised the 36th Division troops for their offensive actions, including crossing the Litani River and surprising the enemy. He credited their efforts and those of the Northern Command and other divisions for the agreement's achievement. He stated that the military successes have weakened Hezbollah, which he described as exhausted and defeated in every encounter with Israeli forces, now relying solely on its Iranian patron for support.