The IDF destroyed a 200-meter underground facility in the village of Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, containing hundreds of weapons and four launch shafts aimed at Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz announced the demolition as part of Operation 'Final Verse,' stating the complex was built with Iranian technology and used for assembling and launching Iranian-made UAVs. Residents of the Western Galilee were warned of a high-intensity explosion. Israel informed the United States in advance.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Sunday night that the IDF demolition of the underground facility in Majdal Zoun was part of Operation 'Final Verse', targeting a facility built with Iranian technology and used for assembling and launching Iranian-made UAVs. The confirmation came after hours of IDF reporting on the operation, which began with the military's initial clearance for publication around 23:07 Jerusalem on Sunday evening. Residents of the Western Galilee were warned of a high-intensity explosion, and Israel informed the United States in advance.
Over the course of Sunday evening, The Zioneer tracked the development in close succession: beginning at 22:25 Jerusalem with reports that the IDF was destroying a massive tunnel network using unprecedented quantities of explosives. By 23:07, the IDF had confirmed the destruction of a 200-meter underground complex containing hundreds of weapons and four launch shafts, initially reported as a conventional tunnel. Later versions added that the complex was built using Iranian technology and expertise, and identified the specific units involved (the 551st Brigade Combat Team and the elite Yahalom unit under Division 91). The IDF's initial report, at version 1, had been based on i24NEWS coverage noting that the operation was coordinated with the US. The name 'Final Verse' and the explicit description of the facility as a drone assembly and launch site were only confirmed by Netanyahu and Katz at around 23:09 to 23:22 Jerusalem, elevating the attribution from military reports to the political leadership.
The facility was described as a subterranean 'airfield' as early as June 21, when the IDF revealed a vast Hezbollah tunnel complex in Majdal Zoun containing hundreds of drones and missiles, as The Zioneer reported. The broader context of Iranian involvement in building southern Lebanon's tunnel network has been documented by the IDF for weeks, including a multi-shaft network beneath the Beaufort Ridge, revealed on June 7, intended to hold operatives, launch drones, and survive prolonged combat inside a civilian area.
What remains open is the precise timing of the demolition—the IDF has not stated when the detonation occurred relative to the warnings or the political announcements—and whether any Hezbollah operatives were present inside the facility at the moment of destruction; the draft states that no fighters were reported inside, but no formal IDF denial of their presence has been published.
6 developments
- StrongNetanyahu, Katz confirm IDF destroyed 200-meter Hezbollah tunnel in Majdal Zoun
- DevelopingIDF captures Hezbollah drone factory and launch site hidden inside south Lebanon mountain
- DevelopingIDF destroys Hezbollah underground compound in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF says Hezbollah drone surveillance cell dismantled in southern Lebanon
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