Israel threatens further strikes after demolishing parts of Hezbollah’s tunnel network under strategic ridge

Israel said on Friday it was prepared to launch further strikes on Hezbollah after demolishing what it described as a vast tunnel network beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was ready to “continue striking Hezbollah and at additional locations”, claiming the operation had created a stronger security zone protecting communities in northern Israel and allowing Israeli forces to threaten Hezbollah deeper inside Lebanon.

The Israeli army said the tunnel network, which it claimed had been built over two decades with Iranian assistance, extended for more than two kilometres and contained dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, drones and other weapons, as well as a command centre and living quarters.

Israel detonated the network late on Thursday in a massive explosion that produced a large fireball and was recorded by the US Geological Survey as a tremor equivalent to a 4.1-magnitude earthquake.

The blast came about a week after Israeli troops said they had seized the strategic ridge as part of efforts to consolidate a security zone in southern Lebanon.

Army chief Eyal Zamir warned that any Hezbollah attack on northern Israeli communities or Israeli troops would receive an “immediate and forceful response”, while urging the Lebanese army to demonstrate its effectiveness in southern Lebanon.

He warned that failure to do so could prevent progress on an agreement between Israel and Lebanon concerning the deployment of Lebanese forces. Ali al-Taher lies near the edge of Israel’s self-declared security zone and close to the strategic Beaufort Castle.