Israel’s military says it has destroyed a large underground complex operated by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Using more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives, Israeli forces detonated two tunnels that stretched over 2 km (1.2 mi) beneath the Ali Taher Ridge. The blast triggered seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.
No immediate public response came from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government, but the IDF released images of a fireball lighting up the night sky. "The sky lit up and about 15 seconds later we heard the terrifying sound," said Ahamed, a resident in Nabatieh, 6 km west of the ridge. "The house shook all together as if it was literally an earthquake."
Tremors were felt as far north as Saida, 40 km away. Residents described scenes of screaming, children crying, and cars filling the roads as people fled for Beirut.
The IDF said the underground complex housed a Hezbollah command centre used by the Badr unit, with dozens of rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti‑tank weapons, mines and explosives. "This was strategic infrastructure that was constructed over two decades, funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime," the IDF added. "All of the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure were eliminated or fled."
According to the IDF, the destruction of the complex completed the mission to destroy eight tunnels and establish a "security zone" in the area. The operation follows renewed fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces expanded operations against Hezbollah positions and maintain control over approximately 5 % of Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s media reported fresh Israeli strikes elsewhere in the south on Thursday, including Nabatieh al‑Fawqa and Mansouri in the Tyre district. The Lebanese army has increased deployments outside Israeli control in the southern city of Nabatieh to strengthen stability and reassure residents, local television station MTV reported.
The conflict—sparked by Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel in response to an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader on 2 March—has seen Indonesian and US interventions. Fighting has decreased since a ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US in June and a separate agreement between Lebanon and Israel. The United Nations notes that, despite the return of hundreds of thousands of residents to their homes, about 330,000 remain displaced.
Under the Lebanon‑Israel framework, Hezbollah is expected to disarm, Israeli forces to retreat gradually from southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army to deploy across the area. Hezbollah has rejected direct negotiations but continues to be involved in the broader conflict dynamics.
At least 4,362 people have been killed in Lebanon during the conflict, including 395 women and 259 children, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Israeli authorities report 40 Israeli soldiers and four civilians killed. Further reporting by Raffi Berg in London and Samantha Granville and Ghaith Solh in Beirut.
