Overview
- Israeli forces carried out large demolitions of an extensive Hezbollah underground network at Ali al‑Taher and Beaufort, an effort officials say included blasting tunnels that registered as a seismic event and concluded in the past week.
- Senior Israeli leaders publicly vowed continued action and warned of heavier reprisals, with Defense Minister Yisroel Katz saying anyone who approaches the ridge “will be destroyed” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising stronger blows for future attacks.
- After the demolitions the IDF said it withdrew from the immediate Ali al‑Taher summit and redeployed to commanding positions along the Yellow Line while keeping a presence at the Beaufort compound to prevent Hezbollah’s return.
- Ongoing search-and-clear patrols uncovered and destroyed remaining Hezbollah materiel, including a loaded rocket launcher and a tunnel shaft containing 32 rockets that the IDF said were aimed toward Israeli territory.
- The campaign complicates a June U.S.-brokered framework that links phased Israeli withdrawal to Lebanese Army deployments and Hezbollah disarmament, increasing the risk of escalation and putting new pressure on diplomats working in Rome and Washington.