The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on September 10 that its 36th Division destroyed more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure beneath southern Lebanon’s Ali al Taher Ridge, one week after announcing “operational control” above and below ground. The IDF identified the facility as a central command complex and “nerve center” of Hezbollah’s Badr Unit. The demolition followed a June 19 ceasefire that had sharply reduced fighting but did not end clashes around Ali al Taher.
The IDF said troops found dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), machine guns, and anti-tank missiles and hundreds of mines and explosive devices. The Israeli network i24NEWS reported, citing additional military details, that the cache also included dozens of explosive drones and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rounds. The complex contained command rooms, weapons storage facilities, and living quarters for extended stays underground, according to the IDF.
Lebanese security sources had independently told Reuters in July that Hezbollah built an underground command center and weapons stores inside the ridge. The detailed inventory and Badr Unit identification have not been independently verified.
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that Hezbollah used the facility to direct fighting during the 2024 Operation Northern Arrows campaign, Operation Roaring Lion beginning in March 2026, and the current fighting. The Badr Unit is one of Hezbollah’s regional military formations; the IDF places its commanders and activities north of the Litani River.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah built the network under the ridge over roughly two decades with Iranian funding and planning. Israeli Channel 12’s N12 news site published a joint statement in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the complex was intended as a base to “conquer the Galilee,” and it allowed Hezbollah to observe and bring fire on Metula and Kiryat Shmona in Israel.
Defrin said that the IDF had encircled the area for months and struck Hezbollah personnel trying to leave or resupply the tunnels. Others were killed in Israeli ambushes while escaping, he said. “All the terrorists who were in the infrastructure were eliminated or fled,” Defrin stated.
On September 11, the IDF released body-camera footage from a soldier in Yahalom, its special combat-engineering unit for complex and underground missions, inside one route; drone footage from another; and an illustration of the network beneath Ali al Taher and nearby Beaufort Ridge. An 11-second clip, the IDF said, showed two Hezbollah operatives firing on troops from a shaft before being struck and killed. The footage provides visual support for the Israeli military’s claim that its forces operated inside portions of the system.
The IDF said that the operation culminated in a broader maneuver in which the 36th Division crossed the Litani River and captured Beaufort Ridge “from an unexpected direction,” before Commando Brigade and Yahalom forces cleared the routes for demolition. On September 4, before interior footage emerged, a Lebanese military officer told Reuters that Israeli troops held the southern entrances to the ridge and could monitor northern entrances by drone, but it was unclear how deeply they had penetrated or whether Hezbollah personnel remained inside.
Hezbollah did not officially respond to Israel’s September 3 announcement. The Lebanese daily newspaper An-Nahar, citing Hezbollah-connected sources, reported on September 4 that Israel’s portrayal of the ridge’s complete “fall” was inaccurate. Those sources nevertheless acknowledged an organized withdrawal of personnel and equipment to fallback positions and called the installation a “rear base” with operations rooms and logistical equipment. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV channel said that “the battle of Ali Al Taher has not ended.”
Fighting continued. On September 7, the IDF said that Hezbollah launched two explosive drones at Israeli forces on Ali al Taher, causing no casualties—the third such attack the Israeli military attributed to Hezbollah in one week, although the group publicly claimed none. Later, the IDF said that a Hezbollah operative fired at Golani Brigade reconnaissance troops near Beaufort, lightly wounding two Israeli soldiers before he was killed. Israel responded around Kfar Rumman in Nabatieh District. Reuters, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry, reported that 12 people were killed, including two children, four women, and a paramedic; the IDF said it targeted people transferring weapons and was reviewing reports that uninvolved people were harmed.
Israeli Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh reported that during the September 10 detonation, more than 1,100 metric tons of explosives destroyed the two Ali al Taher underground routes, which extended more than two kilometers combined. He separately reported that the wider Ali al Taher-Beaufort network comprised eight routes totaling more than 5.4 kilometers. The US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude-4.1 seismic event near Nabatieh at the time of the demolition.
The IDF’s withdrawal followed its September 3 statement that it would adjust its defensive posture after neutralizing the underground infrastructure. Kadosh reported on September 11 that troops withdrew from Ali al Taher to rear positions around Beaufort, and Israel intended to control the ridge remotely through surveillance and firepower, striking any Hezbollah attempts to return.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said troops had been ordered to destroy the infrastructure and “reorganize,” while the Yellow Line—the boundary of Israel’s self-declared security zone—remained unchanged and under Israeli control. The Netanyahu-Katz statement said the demolition had “completed the organization of the security zone in southern Lebanon” and Israeli forces would remain there to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding.
Israeli military activity continued elsewhere in southern Lebanon on September 11. In Mansouri, Tyre District, an An-Nahar correspondent reported 25 Israeli-controlled detonations over five hours and observed two bulldozers, an Israeli Merkava tank, and three drones carrying explosive loads to buildings. The Associated Press reported that its journalists also saw drones carrying explosive boxes toward houses and that Lebanese state media reported the destruction of Mansouri’s public school. No casualties from those demolitions have been confirmed, and the IDF had not provided the AP an incident-specific explanation.
Hezbollah has not issued a public response to the September 10 demolition as of publication on September 11, nor have Iran, the Lebanese government, or the Lebanese Armed Forces.
