Israel destroys key Hezbollah underground command center in southern Lebanon in earth-shaking detonation

Israel destroyed a massive underground Hezbollah command center in southern Lebanon late Thursday night, in a series of explosions that triggered earthquake warnings in Lebanon.

The surprise announcement of the detonation came despite explicit warnings from the Iranian regime and Hezbollah against destroying the complex, where dozens of operatives had reportedly been holed up for months within an extensive network of underground tunnels beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the operation completed “the consolidation of the security zone in southern Lebanon.”

“This was strategic terror infrastructure built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning. The terror infrastructure and the command center on the ridge were designed to serve as the staging base for the conquest of the Galilee, and had observation and firing dominance over Metula and Kiryat Shmona,” they stressed.

מצורף תיעוד מהשמדת התשתיות התת-קרקעיות ברכס עלי טאהר pic.twitter.com/GDHpR984An

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 10, 2026

The IDF said the operation to slowly capture and finally demolish the underground compound was “one of the most complex operations the IDF has conducted in recent years.” The military and government deliberately held back information about the ongoing operation in order to deprive Iran and Hezbollah of a pretext for attacking Israel.

In a pointed warning, Netanyahu and Katz emphasized that Israel “will continue to defend the northern communities from within Lebanon – and any attempt to harm our citizens and our forces will be met with force.”

Ahead of the demolition, the IDF reportedly raised its level of readiness for potential retaliatory strikes. At the time of publication, neither Iran nor Hezbollah had attacked Israel.

In recent days, the IDF has been operating on the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon (north of the village of Tebnit) against one of the most important strategic underground facilities within Hezbollah’s "Land of Tunnels" network — the headquarters of the Badr Unit, which was… pic.twitter.com/UwZtitpU8y

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) June 21, 2026

The massive detonations triggered a magnitude 4.1 earthquake warning in Lebanon. “Tonight the mountain became a sandbox,” a senior IDF officer told Army Radio.

Yahalom combat engineers had carried approximately 1,100 tons of explosives in jerry cans on their backs into the tunnels to destroy them, while under constant threat of Hezbollah attacks.

Israel Defense Forces reported that the tunnel system “extended for more than two kilometers. Dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs, as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices, were located inside.”

🎯STRUCK: 2 Hezbollah terrorists who opened fire at IDF troops from an underground shaft in the Ali al-Taher Ridge. pic.twitter.com/mA7rYhJij0

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 11, 2026

“A central command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s “Badr” Unit was located within the underground infrastructure… [containing] command centers, weapon storage rooms, and living quarters that enabled terrorists to manage the combat and remain underground for extended periods. This was strategic infrastructure that was constructed over two decades, funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”

Most of the underground infrastructure beneath the greater Beaufort Ridge and the area of the Nabatiyeh Heights is now destroyed, and the IDF said it would withdraw its physical presence from the Ali al-Taher ridge while continuing to prevent the return of militants to the area through firepower and surveillance, according to Army Radio.

The operation began with a commando raid and tactical diversion that enabled troops to attack from behind, cut off the area and trap at least 50 Hezbollah operatives underground before they could flee.

תיעודים בלעדיים מהתוואים התת-קרקעיים שהושמדו ברכס עלי טאהר

לכל הפרטים👇👇https://t.co/JoTUatUROS pic.twitter.com/Ycm13nf57r

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 11, 2026

Once the IDF established control over Ali al-Taher ridge, a highly complex operation began, involving the entire General Staff as well as intelligence, logistics and communications units.

For three months, Israeli troops systematically “peeled away” Hezbollah’s intelligence-gathering and explosive capabilities below the ground, while fending off constant attacks and attempts to resupply the trapped terrorists from outside.

Israeli troops intercepted deliveries containing communications equipment, food, water, and even chocolate and cigarettes, often transported with drones.

According to Army Radio, Israel allowed trapped operatives to surrender and come out under a white flag; however, they refused to surrender and fought to the end.

🎥 WATCH: IDF troops uncovering dozens of weapons, intended for attacks against Israeli civilians & IDF troops, inside Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in the Ali al-Taher Ridge. pic.twitter.com/ziifElFHRQ

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 11, 2026

“All of the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure were eliminated or fled. Despite Hezbollah’s declaration that it would defend the infrastructure at any cost, it failed and even abandoned its personnel to die inside,” said IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin.

Some terrorists managed to flee through shafts that IDF troops had not discovered or under the cover of heavy fog in the area.

“Terrorists who attempted to abandon the route or resupply the terrorists trapped inside were eliminated in strikes from the air and from the ground. Some of the terrorists who attempted to flee were eliminated in close-quarters combat after encountering ambushes by our troops. All of the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure were eliminated or fled.”

Despite these achievements, Defrin noted, “The combat came at a heavy cost. Our soldiers – the finest of our sons, the best of us – fell in the battles to gain control of and clear the ridge. We completed the mission; these achievements belong first and foremost to them.”