The Israeli military says it has destroyed Hezbollah's underground infrastructure at a key site in southern Lebanon, consolidating what it describes as a security zone in the area.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain in the area to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its presence and rebuilding its capabilities.
The Ali al-Taher ridge, located approximately 15 kilometres from the Israeli border, has become one of the most contested areas of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said its forces had established "operational control" over the ridge, both above and below ground, before dismantling the infrastructure. The underground network extended for more than two kilometres and contained dozens of rockets, missiles and drones, as well as anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive devices.
The military said a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah's Badr unit was located within the underground infrastructure. The complex contained command centres, weapons storage rooms and living quarters that allowed fighters to remain underground for extended periods.
Katz had claimed last Friday that Israeli forces had driven Hezbollah fighters out of what he described as a network of tunnels under the disputed highland. Lebanese security sources were quoted as saying Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command centre and weapons stores there in July.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the Israeli military carried out a powerful blast at the ridge, with tremors and the sound of the explosion felt across Nabatieh and surrounding areas in southern Lebanon. The US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.1 tremor nearby.
Hezbollah has not yet responded to the attack.
Israeli strikes and ground operations around the Ali al-Taher ridge have continued in recent weeks despite a ceasefire agreed in June, after Israel gained control of nearby Beaufort Castle and part of the higher ground overlooking much of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
A US-brokered framework agreed following the June ceasefire called for Israeli forces to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon while Lebanese troops disarm Hezbollah. The process has stalled, with Hezbollah refusing to give up its weapons and Israel saying it will not withdraw until the group disarms.
Iran reportedly warned the United States last month that it would respond forcefully if Israeli attacks on the ridge continued.
Since 2023, Israel has pushed into southern Lebanon and seized several strategic positions, occupying swathes of territory it increasingly says it needs to maintain a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
