IDF Says Hezbollah Tunnel Network Held Maps of Northern Israeli Communities

Israeli forces from Division 36 are continuing a broad operation in southern Lebanon to clear and destroy an underground tunnel network exposed beneath the Beaufort Ridge. According to the IDF, the system was built over years with funding and assistance from Iran and was used by Hezbollah for operational purposes.

During searches inside one of the underground routes, where militants were recently found trying to flee and were killed in an airstrike, soldiers discovered maps and diagrams on the walls of the complex. The IDF said the maps illustrate the topographic control of the area over communities in northern Israel and the operational importance Hezbollah assigned to the region.

The findings, the army said, reinforce its assessment that the tunnel system was intended as part of a wider offensive infrastructure built over many years to enable attacks against Israel in the event of a confrontation. Operations in the Beaufort Ridge area are now focused on expanding IDF operational control, locating terror infrastructure, and destroying it.

The army said the purpose of the operation is to remove threats to northern residents and prevent Hezbollah from using the tunnel network in the future.