The IDF said it blew up two tunnels with a combined length of more than 2 km. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the blast caused seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake; there was no immediate public reaction from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government.
Israeli military officials said the infrastructure housed the command center of Hezbollah’s Badr unit, as well as dozens of rockets, drones, anti-tank weapons, mines, and explosives. The IDF called the site strategic infrastructure built over two decades and, according to it, financed and planned by Iran.
The military also claims that the militants inside were killed or fled. According to them, the destruction of the complex completed the mission to eliminate eight tunnels and create a “security zone” in this sector.
Israeli forces took control of the ridge last week after months of fighting in the area, where the Israeli army holds a significant part of southern Lebanon. Amid renewed fighting in southern Lebanon, Israeli operations against Hezbollah positions continue.
A resident of Nabatieh, a Lebanese city about 6 km west of the ridge, Ahmed told the BBC that he saw a fireball in the sky and about 15 seconds later heard a “terrifying sound”. According to him, the house shook “as if in an earthquake”, people were screaming, children were crying, and cars filled the roads as residents left for Beirut; tremors were also felt in the coastal city of Sidon, about 40 km to the north.
Lebanese media also reported new Israeli strikes in the south of the country on Thursday, including on Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Mansouri in the Tyre district. The Lebanese army has increased its deployment in areas outside Israeli control, including Nabatieh, to strengthen stability and reassure residents.
Under the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah is to disarm, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from the south of the country, and the Lebanese army is to deploy across the entire territory. Hezbollah was not directly involved in the agreement and rejected direct talks; the UN estimates the number of displaced people in Lebanon at about 330,000.
Since March 2, Lebanon’s health ministry has reported 4,383 deaths, including 395 women and 259 children, as well as at least 29 deaths this week. In Israel, according to the authorities, 40 soldiers and four civilians have died over the same period.
Sources
