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The Israeli military announced on Thursday that its armed forces have destroyed a major underground Hezbollah military installation situated along the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials stated that the targeted demolition was carried out to consolidate Israel's operational control over the high ground and fortify its established security zone along the border.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation, affirming that Israeli ground troops will maintain their positions in the area. The two leaders emphasized that an ongoing military deployment is necessary to prevent the Iran-backed group from rebuilding its infrastructure, regaining operational footholds, and restoring its military capabilities along the frontier.
The Israeli military claimed that its forces established full operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge, securing both surface positions and subterranean pathways before demolishing the installation. Military officials maintained that clearing and dismantling the underground network was critical to eliminating direct cross-border threats facing northern Israeli territory.
According to military descriptions, the demolished subterranean system extended for more than two kilometres, measuring just over one mile in length. The complex was fitted with dedicated command centres, logistical weapons storage spaces, and specialized living quarters engineered to allow militant fighters to remain stationed underground for extended durations without returning to the surface.
Israeli troops clearing the complex reportedly uncovered an extensive stockpile of armaments hidden inside the tunnels. The discovered cache included dozens of rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, along with anti-tank guided weapon systems, defensive landmines, and a variety of explosive devices that were subsequently neutralized during the demolition.
The Israeli armed forces further specified that the underground site served as a vital regional headquarters, identifying it as a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s Badr unit. The facility had been utilized to direct operations in the area and coordinate military activities against Israeli border positions.
The scale of the destruction caused widespread reverberations across southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the Israeli military executed a powerful detonation on the ridge, creating intense acoustic blasts and ground tremors that were felt throughout the nearby city of Nabatieh and its surrounding villages.
Hezbollah did not immediately issue a public statement or response regarding the Israeli military's claims concerning the destruction of the facility. However, Lebanese security sources cited by Reuters indicated that the militant faction is believed to have constructed the subterranean command centre and arms depots relatively recently, establishing the site in July.
The Ali al-Taher ridge, situated approximately 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the Israeli border, has become one of the most heavily contested battlegrounds in the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. Defence Minister Katz had previously asserted that Israeli forces had successfully expelled militant fighters from the disputed network of tunnels underneath the highland late last week.
The recent demolition comes on the heels of continuous Israeli military operations to secure vantage points across the southern border area. Israeli forces had earlier taken control of the nearby historic Beaufort Castle alongside elevated ridges that provide comprehensive oversight over large sections of both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
The intensification of military activity on the ridge has also sparked wider regional diplomatic warnings. Tensions escalated last month when Iran reportedly conveyed a formal warning to the United States, cautioning that it would mount a forceful response if Israeli strikes and incursions targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge continued.
The ongoing ground actions and airstrikes have persisted despite a ceasefire framework reached in June. Mediated by the United States, that agreement was negotiated between Israeli and Lebanese government representatives, without direct negotiations involving Hezbollah.
Under the framework agreed upon after the June ceasefire, Israeli armed forces were scheduled to carry out a phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon. In exchange, the Lebanese national army was tasked with deploying to the region and disarming Hezbollah fighters.
However, the diplomatic process has reached an impasse. Implementation has stalled due to Hezbollah’s refusal to surrender its weapons and dismantle its military wing, while the Israeli government insists it will not withdraw its forces until the group is fully disarmed.
Since initiating its ground push into southern Lebanon in 2023, Israel has captured and occupied several key strategic areas. Israeli officials have increasingly stated that maintaining control over these territories is necessary to preserve a buffer zone separating Hezbollah positions from civilian communities in northern Israel.
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