The IDF dismantled Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on the Ali al-Taher Ridge on Thursday evening. In a statement issued afterward, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the operation “completed the establishment of the Security Zone in southern Lebanon."
The IDF said that its soldiers completed the dismantling of the underground routes in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area after recently establishing operational control over the ridge, both above and below ground.
“Today (Thursday), following extensive preparatory activity, IDF soldiers dismantled the underground infrastructure in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area, located within the Security Zone, in order to definitively neutralize Hezbollah’s ability to use this infrastructure to plan and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers," the IDF stated.
According to the IDF, the terrorist infrastructure extended for more than two kilometers. Dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles and UAVs were found inside, along with machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles and hundreds of mines and explosive devices.
As the IDF reported last week, the underground infrastructure also contained a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s “Badr" Unit. The complex included command centers, weapon storage rooms and living quarters that enabled terrorists to manage combat operations and remain underground for extended periods.
Netanyahu and Katz described the site as “strategic terrorist infrastructure that was constructed over two decades, funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime."
“The terrorist infrastructure and command center on the ridge were intended to serve as a base for the conquest of the Galilee and provided observation and fire control over Metula and Kiryat Shmona," they said. “Their destruction completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher Ridge - above and below ground."
The Prime Minister and Defense Minister added that IDF forces are preparing to defend the area and prevent Hezbollah from returning.
“The IDF will remain in the Security Zone, continue to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and thwart any attempt by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to reestablish itself and rebuild its capabilities," Netanyahu and Katz stated.
“The State of Israel will continue to defend the communities of the north from within Lebanon - and any attempt to harm our civilians and our forces will be met with force."
The IDF added that its soldiers “will continue to operate in the Security Zone in southern Lebanon to remove threats and dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area, and will not allow Hezbollah to harm Israeli civilians."
“The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon," the military concluded.