Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnels at Ali al-Taher ridge

Ali al-Taher, the strategic ridge overlooking Nabatieh, was the site of a fresh Israeli military operation Thursday evening, with the army saying it destroyed "more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure" beneath the height, located north of the Litani River, roughly 15 kilometers from the Israeli border.

Powerful explosions shook the region as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz presented the operation as completing the establishment of Israel's "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz said Israeli forces had first secured "operational control" over the ridge, both above and below ground, before demolishing the tunnel network using more than 1,100 tons of explosives. 

The blast registered as a magnitude 4.1 seismic event roughly 13 kilometers west-southwest of Nabatieh, according to the US Geological Survey, and was felt as far as surrounding communities. Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported that tremors and the sound of the explosion were felt across the city.

A command hub built with Iranian support

According to the Israeli military, the underground network contained dozens of rockets, missiles and drones, along with anti-tank weapons, mines and explosive devices. 

Officials said the site housed a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah's Badr unit, complete with command centers, weapons storage rooms and living quarters that allowed fighters to remain underground for extended periods.

Israeli officials described Ali al-Taher as a strategic Hezbollah stronghold built over two decades with Iranian financing and planning, describing the underground network beneath it as a nerve center for Hezbollah's Badr unit - the group's Revolutionary Guard-backed proxy structure - with facilities providing observation and fire-control capabilities overlooking the northern Israeli towns of Metulla and Kiryat Shmona, and infrastructure intended to support a possible incursion into Israel's Galilee region.

Netanyahu and Katz said Israeli troops would stay in the security zone to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its presence and rebuilding its capabilities there.

The ridge has been one of the most contested sites in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with Katz having claimed last Friday that Israeli forces had already driven Hezbollah fighters out of tunnels beneath the disputed high ground. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on Israel's latest claims.