Israel has destroyed a major Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, triggering a blast powerful enough to register as a 4.1-magnitude tremor and light up the night sky. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strike eliminated fighters and completed Israeli operational control of the ridge "above and below ground," marking a significant blow to infrastructure they say Hezbollah built over two decades with Iranian backing. The move comes amid a recent escalation in strikes, despite a US-brokered understanding reached earlier this year aimed at calming the conflict.

Israeli officials said roughly 1,100 tons of explosives were used to destroy the complex, which stretched more than two kilometres and reportedly contained Iranian-made rockets, missiles, drones, anti-tank weapons and a command centre for Hezbollah's "Badr" unit. The US Geological Survey confirmed the tremor, while Lebanon's state news agency and AFP witnesses in the area described hearing huge explosions and feeling the ground shake. Israel had already announced capturing the ridge, located about 15km from its border, a week earlier; Hezbollah had reportedly rejected a US proposal for the Lebanese army to take control of the site instead. Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people since March, with Israeli forces continuing to occupy a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.