The Israeli military on Thursday destroyed a massive underground structure beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. The immense explosion, captured on camera by onlookers, was so powerful that seismologists recorded the event as a magnitude 4.1 earthquake.
The Ali al-Taher ridge is about ten miles from the Israeli border. It has been a major focus of operations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ever since Israel invaded Lebanon in response to Hezbollah attacks in March.
Last week, the IDF announced it had gained “operational control” over the ridge, and set about clearing the immense tunnel network constructed by Hezbollah terrorists over more than twenty years.
According to Israeli officials, the underground fortress was over a mile wide, and it contained “dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs, as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices.”
The tunnels also housed a command center for the Badr unit, which is Hezbollah’s primary brigade in southern Lebanon.
The IDF on Friday released footage taken by soldiers and drones exploring the tunnels:
“This was strategic terror infrastructure built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning,” said a joint statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“The terror infrastructure and the command center on the ridge were designed to serve as the staging base for the conquest of the Galilee, and had observation and fire dominance over Metula and Kiryat Shmona. Their destruction completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali Taher ridge — above and below ground,” the statement said.
“The IDF will remain in the security zone and will continue destroying terror infrastructure and thwarting any attempt by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to re-establish itself and restore its capabilities,” Netanyahu and Katz pledged.
“The State of Israel will continue to defend the northern communities from within Lebanon — and any attempt to harm our citizens and our forces will be met with force,” they concluded.
The commander of the IDF’s 36th Division, Brig. Gen. Yiftach Norkin, said the demolition of the Ali al-Taher complex was “one of the most complex operations we have carried out.”
“We operated above and below ground, facing threats from near and far, with determination and while maintaining strict protection of our forces. Along the way, we dealt with obstacles and collapses, but continued to strive to complete the mission, the destruction of the underground tunnels on the Ali al-Taher ridge and the enemy infrastructure in the area,” he said.
Norkin said the tunnels were destroyed with “1,100 tons of explosives,” severely degrading “Hezbollah’s ability to command and control the area.” Other IDF officials who spoke to the Jerusalem Post said the loss of the underground fortress was a devastating blow “both psychologically and physically” for Hezbollah.
The IDF knew Hezbollah would put up a stiff fight for their command center, so the operation began with feints and deceptive maneuvers, leading Hezbollah to believe the IDF did not know how to enter the tunnel complex. Hezbollah fighters guarding the entrances were taken by surprise when the Israeli attack came, but about 50 of them were trapped inside the underground base and fought to the bitter end. Hezbollah made several unsuccessful attempts to rearm and resupply the terrorists caught underground. In the end, a few of the Hezbollah operatives fled, while the rest refused Israeli offers to surrender.
The Jerusalem Post’s sources said Hezbollah made “desperate calls, including publicly and secretly,” for Iran to “come help us, do something,” or “at least make a statement.” Tehran declined to get involved. The IDF said that contrary to some early rumors, no Iranian personnel were captured or killed inside the Ali al-Taher complex.
France24 reported on Thursday that during negotiations with Iran in June, the United States proposed allowing the Lebanese Army to take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge while Hezbollah evacuated its base, but Hezbollah refused.
The U.S. Geological Survey detected seismic activity from the demolition equal to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake with tremors detected dozens of miles away, and local residents said it felt like an earthquake to them.
“The sky lit up and about 15 seconds later we heard the terrifying sound. The house shook all together as if it was literally an earthquake,” a resident of the city of Nabatieh told the BBC. He said, “people were screaming and children were crying,” and some of his neighbors jumped in their cars and tried to evacuate to Beirut.
Fox News quoted analysts who said Hezbollah hoped to use its Ali al-Taher base as a “staging ground for its own October 7-style invasion of northern Israel.” Those plans have been thwarted as the IDF’s operations eliminated up to 90 percent of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile inventory.