IDF Destroys Hezbollah Tunnels, May Send Seized Arms to Iran Opposition

Last Thursday, the IDF completed one of its most complex engineering operations in recent years: the destruction of the massive tunnel network in the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Forces from Division 36, assisted by the Yahalom engineering unit and commando forces, used more than 1,100 tons of explosives to collapse an underground system spanning over 5.4 kilometers across eight separate routes. The massive blast registered as a seismic event measuring approximately 4.1 on the Richter scale.

The strategic complex was built with funding, planning, and direct assistance from Iran, and served as a central command and control base for Hezbollah's Badr Unit. It included command centers, weapons storage rooms, showers, a kitchen, and generators that enabled prolonged underground stays. According to the IDF, approximately 50 terrorists were stationed at the site when the operation began. Most were eliminated, and the rest fled after Hezbollah abandoned its operatives.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the IDF achieved "another huge victory over Hezbollah" with the destruction of the organization's major terror fortress in the Beaufort ridge and Ali Taher ridge. "We destroyed its major terror fortress in the Beaufort ridge and Ali Taher ridge," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to destroy the terror infrastructure in the security zone in Lebanon. We will continue to remove every threat to the State of Israel."

Before the massive detonation, forces evacuated enormous quantities of advanced combat equipment, including dozens of rockets, missiles, Iranian-made drones, anti-tank missiles, machine guns, hundreds of mines, explosive drones, and extensive military equipment. Netanyahu presented some of the haul in an official video, emphasizing that this was weaponry organized and funded by Iran over many years. In a joint statement by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, they noted that the infrastructure's destruction completed the organization of the security zone in southern Lebanon and prevented its use as a base for conquering the Galilee.

The ridge operation was among the most complex the IDF has carried out in recent years and lasted approximately three months, as part of a broader effort that began about four months ago. On the way to the ridge, forces crossed the Litani River and executed a series of deception maneuvers designed to surprise Hezbollah and gradually dismantle its deployment in the area. The operation began with a complex crossing of the Litani River via a bypass and concealed route, while Hezbollah was convinced the IDF intended to cross at Saluki.

In the days following the operation, claims and unofficial reports began circulating on social media, based on "intelligence signals." According to these publications, Israel is considering transferring some of the captured weaponry, arms originally funded by Iran and taken from Hezbollah, to opposition forces inside Iran, with emphasis on Kurdish elements.

The move is described in the discourse as a "Pay Back" tactic, using the enemy's resources against it to undermine the regime's stability from within and occupy the Revolutionary Guards with the domestic arena.

As of now, these are unofficial reports only that have not received confirmation from the Israeli government or the IDF.

But the possibility illustrates the magnitude of embarrassment Israel is causing Tehran. While Iran continues to attack bases of Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq itself, the Ali Taher operation proves once again: every attempt by the Iranian axis to establish itself on Israel's border is met with total destruction and a devastating blow.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Division 36 after the operation's completion. "Tonight we destroyed the underground terror infrastructure in the Ali Taher ridge, continuing the neutralization of the tunnel network," the chief of staff said. Netanyahu directed a sharp warning to Israel's enemies: "If you haven't learned the lesson by now, and decide to attack us again, you will absorb even heavier blows. There is still work to complete, and with G-d's help we will complete it."