Israel destroys major underground Hezbollah base
Israel says it has destroyed a large underground complex operated by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
It used more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives to blow up two tunnels spanning more than 2km (1.2 miles) beneath the Ali Taher Ridge, according to the Israeli military. The blast triggered seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake, per the US Geological Survey.
There was no immediate response from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government.
"The sky lit up and about 15 seconds later we heard the terrifying sound," said Ahamed, a resident of Nabatieh near the ridge. "The house shook all together as if it was literally an earthquake."
Israeli forces took control of the ridge last week after months of fighting with Hezbollah there. The Israeli military occupies a large swathe of southern Lebanon captured after the conflict resumed in March.
Images released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) showed a fireball lighting up the sky.
The IDF said the underground infrastructure included a command centre used by Hezbollah’s Badr unit and contained dozens of rockets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as anti-tank weapons, mines and explosives.
"This was strategic infrastructure that was constructed over two decades, funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime," the IDF said in a statement on Telegram. "All of the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure were eliminated or fled."
The destruction of the complex completed a mission to destroy eight tunnels and establish a "security zone" in the area, according to the IDF.
This latest action comes amid renewed fighting in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces have expanded operations against Hezbollah positions. Lebanese media reported fresh Israeli strikes elsewhere in the south on Thursday.
