The IDF says it discovered an underground Hezbollah facility built 5 miles north of the Israeli border, equipped for drone operations, and eliminated over 20 terrorists on site. The facility was concealed beneath the village of Majdal Zoun.
The IDF announced on Monday, June 22, that the underground facility previously disclosed beneath the village of Majdal Zoun has been identified as a specialized Hezbollah 'drone airport.' The new designation adds operational specificity to a site that troops of the 551st Brigade uncovered on Sunday, June 21, when they reported a 200-meter-long, 25-meter-deep tunnel network containing four launch shafts aimed at Israel, 12 rooms, and hundreds of weapons including anti-tank missiles and UAVs. More than 20 Hezbollah operatives, over 10 of them from the elite Radwan force, were eliminated in that operation, the IDF said. Monday's update singles out this facility as a dedicated drone-launch hub.
Sunday, June 21, saw a cascade of disclosures: by 19:03 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported multiple facets of the same underground complex — first as a drone-assembly tunnel, then as a 29-meter-deep facility with 12 rooms, later as a strategic route with hundreds of weapons and four launch shafts, and finally as a major network with Iranian-made UAVs and a fortified compound. At 20:16 Jerusalem, background coverage described the site as a subterranean 'airfield' with launch shafts aimed at Israel's coast. By 23:21 Jerusalem, the IDF confirmed more than 20 terrorists eliminated, including Radwan operatives. The thread saw source quality evolve from initial military statements to detailed on-record briefings with illustrations and specific kill counts.
The wider picture: The Zioneer reported on June 7 onward that the IDF had uncovered an Iranian-funded tunnel network beneath the Beaufort Ridge, six kilometers from Metula, built to hold hundreds of operatives and withstand prolonged combat. Context also notes that on June 13, Hezbollah implicitly confirmed the IDF's advance to Majdal Zoun's outskirts. The 'drone airport' in Majdal Zoun thus sits within a broader pattern of underground infrastructure along southern Lebanon's western sector.
The IDF has not specified whether drones were recovered inside the newly identified facility, nor released further details about its exact dimensions beyond Sunday's descriptions. The 'drone airport' designation and the operation's precise chronology of strikes remain the subject of military briefings.
9 developments
- DevelopingIDF captures Hezbollah drone factory and launch site hidden in south Lebanon mountain
- StrongIDF releases illustration of large underground Hezbollah facility found 6 km from border
- DevelopingIDF says Hezbollah drone surveillance cell dismantled in southern Lebanon
- ConfirmedIDF reveals Hezbollah's Iran-funded terror tunnel network beneath Beaufort Ridge
Source and signal
- Internal intake