Israel's army announces the destruction of the largest “tunnel city” in southern Lebanon, an underground network of elite Hezbollah units

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that they had destroyed Hezbollah's largest network of tunnels in southern Lebanon, which had been built with significant support from Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Israeli military explained that the network basically consisted of two major tunnels, built over a decade, reaching depths of about 25 meters and spanning a total length of 2 kilometers. The two tunnels were located next to each other but were not connected, the Times of Israel notes.

According to the IDF, the network could host weapons, communications systems and other operational infrastructure for thousands of Radwan special forces fighters from Hezbollah, the Iranian-allied Lebanese Shiite militia.

An underground network designed as a foothold

Israeli troops say they found numerous weapons and equipment inside the tunnels that Hezbollah members could have used to stay there for long periods. One of the tunnels had about 10 rooms, each with several bunk beds.

The IDF claims that these tunnels were “financed by the Iranian terrorist regime and as part of Hezbollah's plan to conquer the Galilee.”

Israel's military believes that these underground systems were intended by Hezbollah as a foothold from which they could prepare possible attacks against Israeli cities. Hezbollah's invasion plans never materialized.

The Israeli military had discovered three other such networks during the 2024 invasion of Lebanon, but the current one near the town of Kantara is the largest underground tunnel system discovered in southern Lebanon to date.

Kantara is located under Lebanon, 11 kilometers from the border with Israel.