IDF chief: Israel controls Hezbollah tunnel network beneath Beaufort Ridge

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Sunday that Israeli troops have gained operational control of Hezbollah's underground tunnel network beneath the strategic Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon, warning that the military is prepared to resume offensive operations if the ceasefire is violated.

During a visit to the ridge alongside senior Northern Command officers and brigade commanders, Zamir toured the area, conducted an operational assessment, descended into one of the tunnel networks beneath the mountain, and met with troops operating in southern Lebanon.

"The Beaufort area is dominant terrain saturated with terrorist infrastructure," Zamir said. "The Hezbollah terrorist organization, funded and directed by Iran, spent decades constructing extensive underground tunnel networks carved deep into the mountain to threaten northern Israeli communities."

He said the tunnel complex had been used by Hezbollah as command centers, firing positions, and staging areas for attacks against Israel.

"Our troops control the key terrain above ground as well as these underground tunnel networks," Zamir said.

The chief of staff called on the Lebanese Armed Forces to fulfill their obligations under the ceasefire agreement by clearing the area of Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure.

"The Lebanese Armed Forces are required to fulfill their commitments under the historic agreement that was signed and act to clear the area of Hezbollah terrorists and terrorist infrastructure," he said. "The IDF will continue to operate decisively to remove threats from Lebanese territory and is prepared to transition rapidly to offensive operations should the ceasefire be violated."

Zamir said Israeli operations at Beaufort Ridge and across southern Lebanon are being conducted within the framework of the ceasefire agreement and are intended to eliminate threats to residents of northern Israel.

"We will continue operating to defend the residents of northern Israel," he said. "The instructions are clear: any threat directed at our troops or Israeli civilians will be struck immediately and eliminated."

Addressing soldiers from the 36th Division, Zamir praised their operations during the fighting, saying they crossed the Litani River and surprised Hezbollah forces.

"The military achievements you secured weakened Hezbollah," he said. "It is exhausted and was defeated in every engagement with our forces, and it is now relying on its Iranian patron to save it."

The visit included Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, 36th Division commander Brig. Gen. Yiftach Norkin, and commanders from the Golani Brigade, Commando Brigade, 7th Brigade, the Yahalom combat engineering unit, and other senior officers.