An Israeli airstrike was so powerful it caused shockwaves in southern Lebanon and triggered a magnitude 4.1 earthquake in the region. The Israeli military blew up a Hezbollah tunnel at the Ali al-Taher ridge, Lebanese news agency NNA reported, shortly after the US Geological Survey recorded the quake.
The tremors and blast sound were felt across Nabatieh and surrounding areas, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Israel admits raidIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike had completed the consolidation of a security zone in the area.
“The site contained strategic terror infrastructure that had been built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning,” they said in a joint statement. They said Israeli forces had seized operational control of the ridge, above and below ground, before tearing down the network.
The network of tunnels was more than 2 km long and included dozens of rockets, missiles and drones, as well as anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive devices, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The complex also included command centers, weapons storage and living quarters that enabled fighters to remain underground for extended periods, the IDF said.
Netanyahu and Katz said Israeli forces would stay in the security zone and continue dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and preventing the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.
They also warned that Israel will continue to defend communities in northern Israel from inside Lebanon and will respond by force to any attempt to target Israeli civilians or troops.
Israeli-Lebanese tensions riseAt least 12 people killed, several others injured, including children, after Israeli Air Force conducted two airstrikes on a village in southern Lebanon early Monday in new escalation between the two nations in the .
The strikes occurred as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah flared anew, despite a truce being agreed upon more than two months ago. They also followed Israel's announcement that its military had gained "operational control" over the strategic Ali Taher hill overlooking several villages and key roads leading to Nabatiyeh.
Eleven people, including two children and four women, were killed when one strike hit a building, the Health Ministry said. Three children and a paramedic were among eight other people injured.
A second strike hit a car in the village, killing a paramedic working with the Lebanese Islamic Risala Scout Association and injuring two others, the ministry said.
Two Hezbollah drone attacks went off earlier on Monday targeting Israeli troops in Lebanon, the Israeli military said, which it said was in response. One of the strikes targeted a Hezbollah militant who was allegedly smuggling weapons into Kfar Rumman, it said.
Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for the drone attacks and did not immediately comment on the uptick in Israeli strikes in the Nabatiyeh province.
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