The network and command center were intended to serve as a base for the conquest of the Galilee.
By United with Israel Staff
The IDF on Thursday completed the destruction of a sprawling Hezbollah underground network beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, eliminating infrastructure Israel says was built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning to support attacks on northern Israel.
The operation followed months of fighting in which IDF forces established operational control over the ridge both above and below ground. Troops from the 36th Division destroyed more than two kilometers of underground passages after what the military described as extensive preparations.
Inside the tunnels, troops discovered dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles and drones, along with machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles and hundreds of mines and explosive devices, according to the IDF.
The network also contained a major command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s Badr Unit, including command centers, weapons storage rooms and living quarters that allowed terrorists to direct combat operations and remain underground for extended periods.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the destruction of the tunnels completed Israel’s establishment of a security zone in southern Lebanon.
The network and command center “were intended to serve as a base for the conquest of the Galilee and controlled observation and fire over Metula and Kiryat Shmona,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
The IDF said the network had been constructed over approximately 20 years with funding and planning from the Iranian regime.
“This network was built over two decades, with funding and direction from the Iranian terror regime,” an IDF spokesman said from the ridge. “In recent months, our forces surrounded the area and increased the pressure on the tunnels and the terrorists who had entrenched themselves inside.”
“All of the terrorists who were in the infrastructure were eliminated or fled,” he continued. “Although Hezbollah declared that it would defend the infrastructure at any cost, it failed and even abandoned its men to die inside.”
The military acknowledged that capturing and clearing the ridge came at a heavy cost, with Israeli soldiers killed during the fighting.
“We completed the mission. These achievements are first and foremost theirs,” the IDF spokesman said. “We will continue to defend the communities of the north and act to remove every threat to our civilians and our forces.”
Netanyahu and Katz said Israeli troops would remain in the security zone to prevent Hezbollah from returning and rebuilding its capabilities.
“The State of Israel will continue to defend the communities of the north from within Lebanon,” they said, “and any attempt to harm our civilians or our forces will be met with force.”
The operation followed a reported Iranian warning to the United States last month that Tehran would respond forcefully if Israel launched a major assault on the Ali al-Taher Ridge, where Iranian personnel were reportedly believed to be operating alongside Hezbollah.
It also comes as Israel enters the High Holiday season on heightened alert, with officials repeatedly warning that Iran could attempt to attack Israel during the holidays.
The IDF said it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
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