The Israeli military has destroyed a major Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon using 700 tons of explosives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Thursday in a joint statement.
The operation had been scheduled earlier but was postponed due to the ceasefire. Netanyahu and Katz said the demolition was carried out in response to a Hezbollah violation of the ceasefire agreement, when the group targeted an unmanned bulldozer with an explosive drone.
The IDF said it demolished "several key underground routes in the Beaufort Ridge area." According to the military, "Over the past several weeks, IDF troops completed securing the Beaufort Ridge area, while taking control of and clearing the underground infrastructure and preparing it for destruction."
An initial section of the tunnel network in the area was demolished on July 13. The military said most of the tunnel system in the Beaufort Ridge area has now been destroyed following the latest operation.
The IDF continues to monitor another major Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Ali Taher ridge, where dozens of operatives are believed to remain positioned.