Overview
- Israel announced on Thursday that its military detonated and destroyed an extensive Hezbollah underground complex beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge, saying the site was cleared after a months-long operation.
- The IDF says engineers used about 1,000–1,100 tonnes of explosives to collapse more than two kilometres of tunnels and that searches recovered dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, drones and hundreds of mines and explosive devices.
- The detonation produced a seismic event recorded by the US Geological Survey as a magnitude-4.1 tremor and sent a visible fireball and shock through southern Lebanon communities.
- Israeli leaders said the action completes operational control of the ridge and that forces will hold a security zone and are prepared for further strikes, while Hezbollah and Lebanon offered no immediate detailed public response.
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has ruled out new talks with Israel for now, and diplomats warn the demolition deepens mistrust and could derail the fragile U.S.-mediated plan linking Israeli withdrawal to Lebanese army deployment and Hezbollah disarmament.