Israel says it demolished key tunnels built by Hezbollah beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, triggering a 4.1 magnitude tremor, according to AFP.
AFP journalists in the area heard several explosions. In a video shared by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a huge fireball can be seen rising into the night sky.
Israeli troops occupy part of southern Lebanon, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to establish a “security zone” to prevent any attacks on the north of his country.
“This is strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning,” Netanyahu and Katz say in a joint statement.
The destruction “completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge — above and below ground”, the statement adds.
The United States Geological Survey reported a 4.1 magnitude tremor in the area, after Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israel carried out a “massive explosion” on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, “causing tremors and a powerful rumble”.
