IDF uncovers large Hezbollah tunnel network beneath Beaufort Ridge

The IDF says a major subterranean Hezbollah system beneath Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon was a key reason it decided to seize the entire area. According to a senior military source familiar with the plan and precise intelligence presented by Military Intelligence before the ground maneuver, the General Staff had hesitated because of diplomatic and operational developments in southern Lebanon, but eventually approved the plan proposed by the 36th Division under Brig. Gen. Yiftach Norkin.

The source said Hezbollah commanders in the area were “caught in a trap” and did not understand how the IDF intended to capture Beaufort. He described the move as “critical” and said it succeeded. Intelligence indicated that beneath the ancient fortress was an underground network containing anti-tank positions aimed at nearby Israeli border communities. The Israeli Air Force struck the area several times, but failed to destroy the fortified system, which was designed by Iranian engineers and built deep in the mountain by Hezbollah contractors with Iranian assistance.

After the 36th Division took control of the area, fighters from the Yahalom engineering unit began searching the underground facilities. They found a branching tunnel about 3 kilometers long, with entrances leading fighters down ladders or stairs to depths of 20 to 40 meters. Along the tunnel were protected firing slits with Kornet anti-tank missile launchers aimed at Metula and other communities, from which direct fire had been used against houses.

Military sources said the complex was highly developed, with concrete-lined walls despite being carved into rock, smoothed floors, electrical systems, air circulation, sleeping quarters, command posts, weapons storage, toilets and passages for prolonged stays underground. The ridge also served as a launch area for rockets, mortars, UAVs and drones. One officer told Walla it was a “very valuable and strategic asset” for Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and said the IDF had removed a direct threat to border communities. The army is now preparing to destroy the tunnel network, but the full mapping has not been completed, in part because some of it was done by robots, so the demolition method has not yet been decided.