The Lead
The IDF destroyed a significant Hezbollah tunnel network on the strategic Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon overnight Friday, utilizing approximately 700 tons of explosives to neutralize infrastructure that extended from beneath the Beaufort Ridge toward the outskirts of Nabatieh.
The operation targeted a central underground route that served as a critical asset for Hezbollah's regional command. According to reports from i24NEWS and military sources, the network originated under the historic Beaufort Ridge and reached areas north of Nabatieh. This demolition follows a period of IDF operational control over the site and comes as a direct response to a Hezbollah ceasefire violation involving a drone attack on an IDF engineering unit earlier this week.
Strategic Neutralization
As The Zioneer reported earlier, the Beaufort and Ali Taher ridges have been focal points of IDF activity aimed at dismantling Hezbollah's "Badr" unit infrastructure. The network destroyed today was built over two decades with direct Iranian funding and planning, designed to house hundreds of operatives and facilitate a ground invasion of Israeli communities in the Galilee. The use of 700 tons of explosives marks one of the most significant subterranean demolitions in the current campaign.
Operational Context
The Ali Taher ridge is a high-ground asset overlooking Nabatieh, and its underground complexes have been the site of intense friction. Prior reports indicated that dozens of Hezbollah operatives had been besieged within these tunnels as Israeli forces maintained control of the surface. The final neutralization of this route effectively removes a "nerve center" of Hezbollah's regional operations that had been positioned roughly six kilometers from the Israeli town of Metula.
Regional Implications
The destruction of this specific route is a milestone in the IDF's effort to strip Hezbollah of its subterranean capabilities along the northern frontier. While the military continues to monitor for remaining shafts and pockets of resistance, the loss of the Beaufort-Nabatieh axis significantly degrades the terror group's ability to move personnel and weapons covertly across this strategic sector.
4 developments
- The Zioneer Intelligence Desk
- Telegraph: Trump and Netanyahu Discussed Blocking Iran's Land Borders, Trade Crossings
- IRGC declares Strait of Hormuz closed, says passage requires coordination with its navy
- IDF confirms: Security coordinator shot at weapon-grab suspect near Mitzad, suspect arrested
- British-Azeri man arrested in Cyprus on July 17 suspected of spying for IRGC at UK base
