The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it has destroyed a major Hezbollah underground facility beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon. The strike reportedly used more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives to demolish two tunnels that together spanned over 2 km (1.2 mi). The blast triggered a seismic event equivalent to a 4.1‑magnitude earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey.
No immediate response has come from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government. The IDF said that, during the operation, the complex contained a command centre for Hezbollah’s Badr unit, dozens of rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti‑tank weapons, mines and explosives.
"We eliminated all the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure or caused them to flee," the IDF stated in a Telegram message, claiming the complex was built over twenty years with Iranian funding.
The demolition was part of a broader mission to destroy eight tunnels and secure a 5‑km “security zone” along the front. The IDF said the destruction concludes the project to establish a buffer area away from the border.
Residents in Nabatieh, roughly 6 km west of the ridge, described the blast as terrifying, noting that the sound lasted about 15 seconds and their homes shook violently. People fled the area toward Beirut, with traffic jams forming on the roads. Tremors were felt as far north as the coastal city of Saida, 40 km away.
The IDF’s strike comes amid renewed fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to hold territory that the government describes as a security zone. Lebanese media reported fresh Israeli strikes on locations such as Nabatieh al‑Fawqa and Mansouri in the Tyre district around the same time. The Lebanese army has increased its deployments outside Israeli control to bolster stability in Nabatieh.
Since the conflict escalated on 2 March, following Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for a US‑Iranian strike, Israel has occupied about 5 % of Lebanese territory. After a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran in June and a separate accord between Lebanon and Israel, fighting has eased but not ceased. The United Nations reports that 330,000 people remain displaced, although many have begun returning home.
Under the Lebanon‑Israel framework, Hezbollah is expected to disarm, Israeli forces are to withdraw gradually, and the Lebanese army should take wider control. Hezbollah has rejected direct negotiations as part of this agreement. Despite these arrangements, Israeli strikes and demolition operations continue in the south.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, 4,362 civilians have been killed in the conflict, including 395 women and 259 children; the figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israeli authorities report 40 Israeli soldiers and four civilians killed.
Additional reporting by Raffi Berg in London and Samantha Granville & Ghaith Solh in Beirut. 
