IDF Destroys 200 Meters of Hezbollah Tunnels in Southern Lebanon, Faces Threat of Trapped Militants

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday that the 551st Brigade Combat Team, alongside the Yahalom unit and under the command of Division 91, destroyed two significant underground tunnel routes totaling approximately 200 meters near Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon's western sector. This operation follows the recent elimination of a vast tunnel network in the village, described by Israeli security officials as a fortified terrorist stronghold.

These tunnels, reaching depths of about 20 meters, contained combat infrastructure including long-term living quarters, dozens of weapons, and three operational launch shafts aimed directly at Israeli territory. During the searches, soldiers also uncovered large caches of weaponry such as mortars, launchers, and RPG rockets.

Israeli security sources explained Hezbollah's subterranean strategy in the area involves two main components: a fortified underground command center designed to control combat independently from surface activity, and a defensive tunnel system allowing militants to emerge unexpectedly, control access routes, and engage IDF forces before they reach central positions.

The discovery of these tunnels results from persistent scanning operations across southern Lebanon. However, alongside uncovering these assets, IDF troops are contending with the complex challenge of "trapped militants", small groups of Hezbollah fighters left behind in areas already captured by Israeli forces, currently undergoing advanced clearing operations near the Blue Line. These militants, cut off from supply and retreat routes, attempt attacks out of desperation, sometimes emerging from tunnels or rubble. Recent incidents include the killing of an armed militant near one tunnel in Majdal Zoun and a similar encounter near Bint Jbeil.

Majdal Zoun was constructed as a forward base heavily armed with weapons, with Israeli officials noting that every second or third house contains arms, including expensive Kornet missiles scattered around. The security establishment concluded that Hezbollah invested enormous resources to fortify this village for a potential major confrontation with the IDF, not anticipating Israeli forces would penetrate nearly 12 kilometers into Lebanese territory.