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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on April 28 that it had located and destroyed two Hezbollah tunnels in the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon using 450 tons of explosives.
In a statement, the military said that the tunnels were built over a decade, reaching depths of some 25 meters, and were “funded by the Iranian terror regime and as part of Hezbollah’s plan to conquer the Galilee.”
The two tunnels, which were located close to each other but were not connected, span a total of some two kilometers in length.
The IDF said that the tunnels are part of a larger underground network located in the towns of Rab al-Thalathin and Mays al-Jabal during the fighting in 2024.
Both tunnels were intended by Hezbollah for use as a staging ground, where hundreds of fighters would arrive when called, gather equipment, and ready themselves to attack Israeli towns. Hezbollah’s invasion plans never materialized, according to the military.
Troops of the 36th Division raided Qantara, some ten kilometers from Israel’s border, during the current offensive against Hezbollah, following “precise intelligence” of the tunnel systems, the military said.
Inside the tunnels, whose entrances were relatively hidden, Israeli troops located numerous weapons and equipment that Hezbollah operatives could use to reside in the tunnels for long periods. One of the tunnels featured some ten rooms, each with several bunk beds. The tunnels also featured rocket-launching shafts, with launchers in them aimed at Israel, according to the IDF.
Israeli military officials said that the tunnels were built “to Iranian standards,” and Iran was directly involved in the planning and funding of the underground systems.
The explosion of the two tunnels was reportedly heard all over southern Lebanon. Video footage was later released by the IDF.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahua, from his side, praised the destruction of the tunnels, saying that the IDF is operating across multiple areas in Lebanon, including “south of the Litani, north of the Litani, [and] in the Beqaa Valley in northern Lebanon.”
The development came amid a ceasefire that has seen regular exchange of strikes between the IDF and Hezbollah. The ceasefire was declared by United States President Donald Trump, who initially said it would last for ten days, before announcing a three week extension.
Israel had some success in taking down Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon during the latest round of fighting, and even before, during a previous U.S.-brokered ceasefire that lasted 15 months. Nevertheless, the group was not really weakened.
In the last round of fighting, and even during the ongoing ceasefire, it became clear that Hezbollah rearmed and shifted tactics. Instead of attempting to hold ground, the group is now simply working to inflict as much losses on the IDF, mainly using advanced yet low cost means like drones.
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same pictures used in gaza