A network of Hezbollah tunnels beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon was demolished on Thursday, an operation Israel’s military said it carried out and that registered as a 4.1 magnitude tremor in the surrounding area.
Journalists from Agence France-Presse working nearby heard several explosions. In footage circulated by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a large fireball is visible rising into the night sky above the ridge.
The strategic high ground had been the focus of Israeli military activity for several days. Israeli authorities said roughly a week earlier that their forces had established operational control over the ridge, describing it as a base used by the Iran-backed group.
Israel’s military characterised the tunnels as part of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure and said the destruction removed a fortified position near the frontier. The tremor generated by the blasts pointed to the scale of the explosives used.
The operation continues a pattern of Israeli strikes inside Lebanese territory that has persisted despite a ceasefire framework intended to halt the fighting between the two sides. Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted what they describe as Hezbollah positions and weapons stores across the south.
Hezbollah did not immediately issue a public response to the demolition. Lebanese authorities have previously condemned Israeli incursions and strikes as violations of the country’s sovereignty.
The Ali al-Taher ridge overlooks a stretch of southern Lebanon close to the border, terrain both sides have contested during the extended conflict. Control of elevated positions there carries tactical weight for movement and observation along the frontier.
The latest confirmed development leaves Israeli forces holding the ridge after the tunnel network’s destruction, with no reported casualties announced by either party.