Israeli forces detonated a tunnel network on Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon on Thursday, a week after announcing that they had taken control of the area. Military experts described the strike as a major loss for Hezbollah, but said it did not mean the group had been defeated militarily. The operation triggered powerful explosions, prompting the U.S. Geological Survey to record a magnitude 4.1 tremor.
Ali al-Taher site and the importance of its tunnel network
The ridge lies more than 10 kilometers from the border with Israel and overlooks Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said the tunnel network was a Hezbollah command center containing dozens of Iranian-made missiles and drones, as well as other types of weapons.
Experts said Hezbollah built the network over two decades, with tunnels linking several villages in the area. Retired Lebanese army brigadier Khalil Jamil said the destruction of the site represented a "major loss," adding that building a similar network "would take decades" and that Hezbollah was exposed in the area surrounding the ridge.
Control of the ridge and its military implications
He added that the loss of Ali al-Taher did not mean the group had been defeated. Military assessments suggest that control of the ridge could enable an advance toward Nabatieh. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israeli forces now controlled a security zone that allowed them to protect residents, maintain control and threaten Hezbollah deep inside Lebanese territory.
According to military assessments, Hezbollah still holds key positions in Iqlim al-Tuffah, a mountainous area deep in southern Lebanon, as well as positions in the Jezzine highlands and the Bekaa Valley in the east and northeast of the country. Military expert Hassan Jouni said the group’s failure to fight a decisive battle to defend Ali al-Taher indicated weakness.
He said the group had lost a "fortified, solid defensive base" containing large stores of ammunition and missiles, describing the incident as a major loss but not a setback. Jouni added that Hezbollah had suffered unprecedented setbacks before losing the site, particularly the assassinations targeting its leaders, and that the Israeli army had "seized control of a wide area" in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s losses in two confrontations
In less than three years, Hezbollah has fought two confrontations with Israel. The first began in October 2023 in support of Hamas, while the second erupted in March in support of Iran. Experts said the group suffered strikes in both conflicts that damaged its military capabilities and weakened its political influence. It lost several of its most prominent leaders, including its former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, in September 2024.
The group is facing domestic political pressure as President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who took office in early 2025, have pledged to extend state authority and place weapons exclusively under state control.
Hezbollah’s weapons remain a subject of domestic dispute, with its opponents accusing the group of using its arsenal to serve Iran’s regional objectives.
