Israeli forces detonated more than 1,100 tons of explosives to destroy a subterranean Hezbollah network beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The operation neutralizes a strategic command hub designed to serve as a staging base for potential cross-border attacks.
Explosive Demolition Shatters Subterranean Network
The Israeli military demolished the underground infrastructure beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge using more than 1,100 tons of explosives. The blast was so powerful that the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre registered a 4.1-magnitude seismic event, sending tremors through Sidon and Tyre while prompting the Geological Survey of Israel to confirm the ground motion originated from the targeted demolition.
According to forces from Division 36, the Commando Brigade, and the Yahalom engineering unit, the operation followed a prolonged campaign to secure operational control above and below the surface. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement declaring that the destruction of the tunnels completed the organization of the security zone in southern Lebanon.
Two Decades of Iranian-Backed Infrastructure
The subterranean complex spanned more than 5.4 kilometers, featuring eight distinct underground routes constructed over twenty years with financial backing and guidance from Iran. Military officials identified the site as the primary nerve center for Hezbollah’s Badr unit, containing command posts, weapon caches, and living quarters intended to sustain fighters for extended periods.
Inside the subterranean corridors, teams discovered dozens of Iranian-manufactured rockets, missiles, and drones alongside explosive-laden quadcopters, anti-tank guided missiles, and hundreds of landmines. The strategic location offered commanding observation and fire dominance over the northern Israeli communities of Metula and Kiryat Shmona.
“This network was built over two decades, funded and guided by the Iranian terror regime. In recent months, our forces surrounded the area and increased pressure on the terrains and on the terrorists entrenched within them. All the terrorists who were in the infrastructure were eliminated or fled; although Hezbollah declared it would defend the infrastructure at any cost, it failed and even abandoned its men to die inside.”
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, IDF Spokesperson
Regional Warnings and Diplomatic Tensions
The offensive on the ridge unfolded against a backdrop of wider regional friction. Prior to the demolition, diplomatic sources reported that Tehran had warned Washington through Omani intermediaries that any full-scale Israeli assault on the ridge would trigger a broad military response. Reports also indicated that over a dozen members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including at least two senior officers, had operated alongside Hezbollah fighters within the hilltop compound.
As Israeli engineering units finalized the demolition, the military emphasized that forces remaining in the security zone maintain a high state of readiness for multi-front scenarios, accounting for potential rocket fire or unmanned aerial threats originating from regional actors.
Securing the Northern Border and Future Posture
Military leadership confirmed that troops will maintain a presence within the southern Lebanon security zone to prevent militant groups from rebuilding infrastructure near the border. The destruction of the Ali al-Taher network follows similar operations along the Beaufort ridge and surrounding villages, marking a systematic effort to reshape the security architecture of the frontier.
“Alongside the achievements and the completion of the mission, the fighting took a heavy toll on us. In the battles to capture and clear the ridge, our fighters fell—the best of our sons, the salt of the earth. We completed the mission; these achievements belong first and foremost to them. We will continue to defend the northern communities and act to remove any threat to our citizens and our forces. Just as we acted here, we will continue to act along all the borders.”
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, IDF Spokesperson, via Ynet
With the subterranean network neutralized, authorities reiterated that any future attempts to re-establish militant positions in the sector will face direct military intervention.
