IDF dismantles Hezbollah terror tunnel complex near Israeli border

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday destroyed an underground Hezbollah complex in southwestern Lebanon containing hundreds of weapons and several rocket silos, the military said.

“The underground complex was constructed using technology and expertise provided by the Iranian terror regime,” according to the IDF announcement.

The operation in the Majdal Zoun area, some five miles north of the border with Israel inside the IDF-controlled security zone, was carried out after Jerusalem informed the United States, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Israel updated the United States and the American representative in Lebanon in advance regarding the destruction of the infrastructure,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint statement.

“The tunnel, which was over 200 meters [650 feet] long and more than 25 meters [80 feet] deep, contained hundreds of weapons and several launch silos intended to target the territory of the State of Israel and its citizens,” they noted.

“IDF commanders and fighters will remain in the security zone in Southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure, remove threats to northern communities and safeguard the security of Israel’s citizens,” the statement concluded.

Also on Sunday, the IDF attacked three Hezbollah command centers and a launch pad in Southern Lebanon in response to the Iranian proxy’s violation of the truce agreement, the IDF stated separately.

Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-brokered framework agreement on Friday aimed at removing Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon and dismantling “associated infrastructure” in the area.

Hezbollah renewed its rocket and drone attacks from Southern Lebanon on Israel on March 2, following the targeted killing in Tehran of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28.

In response, Jerusalem launched a broad aerial campaign against Hezbollah targets and expanded military operations in Lebanon aimed at preventing cross-border attacks on Israeli communities.

Following the resumption of hostilities, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun vowed to do “the impossible” to stop cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and moved to outlaw the Iranian proxy.

Israeli and Lebanese officials subsequently held five rounds of direct talks at the U.S. State Department in Washington, resulting in the framework of understandings that was reached on Friday and is conditioned on Hezbollah withdrawing from the south.

Katz said on Saturday that Jerusalem had instructed the IDF to prepare for a “prolonged stay” in the security zone in Southern Lebanon.

“The key principle established in the framework is that there will be no Israeli redeployment from Southern Lebanon, no withdrawal whatsoever, as long as the Hezbollah terrorist organization has not been disarmed throughout Lebanon, and the safety of northern residents is guaranteed,” he stated.

Knesset member Nissim Vaturi, a member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, told JNS on Monday that “we only rely on IDF soldiers, who are doing a wonderful job” fighting Hezbollah.

Referring to the two pilot zones where the IDF will withdraw and the Lebanese Armed Forces are to disarm Hezbollah under the framework, Vaturi said there would be “a problem” if the LAF failed to do so.

“They need to deal with Hezbollah. If they succeed, fine,” he told JNS.

Fellow Likud MK Sasson Guetta told JNS he hoped the deal would hold “because thanks to this agreement there will no longer be Hezbollah.

“That’s in the interest of both sides—both theirs and ours. But if it doesn’t hold, then we need to launch a full-scale war in Lebanon,” he said.