Hendra Wijaya
The Israeli military announced the destruction of an extensive subterranean Hezbollah military base situated beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities stated that the targeted demolition has further solidified the country’s self-declared security zone across the border region, marking another significant escalation in the ongoing hostilities between the two sides.
Following the operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint declaration affirming that armed forces would remain deployed in the contested territory. According to the Israeli leadership, maintaining an ongoing troop presence is necessary to stop the Iran-aligned militant organization from re-establishing its logistical network, rebuilding its military capabilities, or returning fighters to the area.
The Ali al-Taher ridge, positioned roughly 15 kilometers, or 10 miles, from the Israeli border, has developed into one of the primary flashpoints of the wider armed conflict. The elevated terrain provides commanding views across surrounding valleys, making control of the highlands a key tactical objective for both Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants operating throughout southern Lebanon.
The demolition comes shortly after Defence Minister Katz announced that Israeli troops had secured control over the disputed high ground. Israeli military officials asserted that their forces had systematically swept the subterranean installations beneath the ridge, forcing out remaining Hezbollah combatants before carrying out the planned destruction of the underground system.
According to reports citing unnamed Lebanese security personnel, Hezbollah is believed to have constructed the subterranean command center and accompanying weapons depots during July. The covert underground project was reportedly designed to withstand heavy bombardment and provide a fortified staging point close to the frontier.
The physical scale of the demolition was underscored by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, which reported that Israeli forces detonated a massive explosive charge directly at the ridge. The resulting shockwaves and loud blast reverberated throughout the city of Nabatieh and multiple neighboring municipalities across the southern portion of the country.
In the immediate aftermath of the high-intensity demolition, Hezbollah did not release an official response or public statement addressing the destruction of the underground base or the reported loss of equipment at the site.
Israeli military representatives stated that ground units successfully attained full operational control across the ridge, securing both surface territory and subterranean routes, before initiating the demolition. The underground network reportedly spanned a distance exceeding two kilometers, or just over one mile, beneath the rocky ridge.
Inside the cleared tunnels, Israeli troops reportedly located a diverse arsenal of weaponry. The inventory cataloged by the military included dozens of rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missiles, landmines, and various pre-positioned explosive devices intended for defensive and offensive combat operations.
The subterranean site was identified by the Israeli military as a major central command facility utilized by Hezbollah’s specialized Badr unit. The underground layout featured coordinated operational command rooms, dedicated weapons storage facilities, and fully furnished living quarters configured to allow militant personnel to reside underground for prolonged intervals without emerging.
The intensification of military action in the area has drawn sharp international concern and widened regional diplomatic friction. Iranian officials reportedly conveyed a stern warning to the United States in the preceding month, declaring that Tehran would mount a forceful reaction should Israeli military operations targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge persist.
Hostilities in the area have continued despite a ceasefire reached in June, following Israel's seizure of nearby Beaufort Castle along with adjacent vantage points overlooking southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Ground maneuvers and aerial strikes around the ridge have frequently breached the intended quiet, challenging the viability of the cessation of hostilities.
Under a framework mediated by the United States following the June agreement between the governments of Israel and Lebanon—which did not involve direct negotiations with Hezbollah—Israeli forces were supposed to execute a gradual withdrawal from southern Lebanese territory. Concurrently, regular Lebanese armed forces were designated to oversee the complete disarmament of Hezbollah.
Implementation of the American-backed initiative remains paralyzed due to deep-seated strategic disagreements between the warring parties. Hezbollah has steadfastly rejected calls to surrender its weapons stockpile, while the Israeli government maintains that it will not pull back its ground forces until Hezbollah’s disarmament is fully realized.
Since the initial escalation of operations in 2023, the Israeli military has repeatedly advanced into southern Lebanon to capture key topographic points and hold expansive tracts of land. Israeli authorities have increasingly defended these territorial gains as indispensable for sustaining a fortified buffer zone between Israeli population centers and Hezbollah’s forward positions.
Comments (0)