IDF Advances Toward Nabatieh After Discovery of Large Underground Hezbollah Infrastructure

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon focused on Nabatieh on Friday, including strikes the night before in the Al-Midan neighborhood and the rural area on the city’s outskirts. Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon, has emerged in recent days as a key strategic target in the widening IDF operation in the area.

The city sits about 15 kilometers north of the Litani River and 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border. Beyond its economic and administrative role, it is considered militarily important because of its location and the road network it controls between the eastern and central sectors of southern Lebanon.

That road system carries movement and supplies across the area, and cutting it off, together with the IDF’s takeover of the Beaufort area and the evacuation of civilians, is expected to make it harder for Hezbollah to maneuver. Beaufort Fortress is only eight kilometers from Nabatieh. N12 reported that the IDF is operating about 3 kilometers from the city.

Saudi channel Al-Hadath said it showed footage of an underground structure uncovered during the ground operation after the capture of the Beaufort post. A Western security source told the channel that the Israeli army had found “huge underground infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah under Nabatieh, and that the group’s tunnels and storage sites beneath the city contain large quantities of weapons. The source added that U.S. security officials in the region had been briefed on Israeli intelligence about Hezbollah locations inside the city.