Israeli military forces have eliminated a massive underground tunnel complex in southern Lebanon that officials say was constructed with Iranian oversight and funding over the past ten years.
The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that soldiers from the 36th Division successfully demolished two major tunnels in the Lebanese town of Qanater, acting on what military officials called “precise intelligence.” The subterranean network stretched approximately 2 kilometers in total length and was situated roughly 10 kilometers from Israeli communities along the northern border.
Military officials report that the underground facility reached depths of about 25 meters and was developed under what they termed “direct guidance” from Iran. According to the IDF, the project received “funding by the Iranian terror regime and as part of Hezbollah’s plan to conquer the Galilee.”
During their exploration of the tunnel system, Israeli troops discovered extensive weapons caches, residential areas, water storage systems, and various equipment intended to sustain extended underground operations. Military sources indicate the network was designed to enable militant fighters to infiltrate northern Israeli communities.
The IDF stated that Hezbollah’s Radwan Force had recently utilized one tunnel section “to advance terror attacks against the State of Israel and its citizens, thereby posing a direct threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
The tunnel destruction required massive controlled detonations that were so powerful they registered on Israel’s seismic monitoring equipment, according to the Geological Survey of Israel. However, the explosions did not trigger earthquake warning systems.
Israeli military leadership characterized these tunnels as the most extensive underground network they have encountered in Lebanon throughout the ongoing conflict, emphasizing that the operation targeted infrastructure they viewed as an urgent danger to Israeli citizens and military personnel.
