Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels under Ali Taher ridge in Lebanon
Israel says it has destroyed Hezbollah's underground infrastructure on the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, an area of recent clashes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military has destroyed Hezbollah's underground infrastructure on the strategic Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.
The ridge has been the scene of clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in recent weeks. According to the statement issued on Thursday, the infrastructure and a command centre on the ridge were built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning, and were intended to serve as a base for what it described as the conquest of the Galilee. The statement said the destruction completed Israel's operational control over the ridge, both above and below ground.
Residents in nearby areas heard loud explosions on Thursday, and videos carried by local media showed a large fire on the ridge. There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah.
In Nabatiyeh, the sound of explosions and the sight of smoke rising from the surrounding hills deepened unease among residents already living under the threat of renewed hostilities.
Vegetable seller Mohamed Jaara said constant strikes and shelling had left many people uncertain about what lies ahead. "Of course, there is fear. We're living through this right now, and no one knows what's going to happen," he said. "Every day there are airstrikes, every day there is shelling. Every day we don't know what's going to happen to us. We are standing our ground, but how long can we keep holding on? No one knows."
Another resident, Mahammad Jaber, said the bombardment had left no sense of safety. "There is no safety. There is absolutely no safety," he said, adding that raids had recently hit Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Remman.
Not everyone in the city appeared shaken. Abu Shakir Borjeh said he and younger residents were not worried, pointing to people playing backgammon in the street and the absence of shelling in Nabatiyeh itself.
Smoke continued to billow near the ridge, where a church stands in the foreground of the hill.