Following weeks of offensives against the Ali al-Taher Ridge, Israeli forces carried out massive underground detonations against what they say were tunnels belonging to Hezbollah. The detonations were said to involve 1,000 tonnes of explosives, and created a detectable earthquake that could be felt as far away as Sidon.
Israeli officials said the tunnels contained Hezbollah weapons as well as a “command center,” though since Israel has also claimed various plainly civilian targets they’ve attacked in the past have similarly been command centers, the exact nature of what they destroyed is never immediately apparent, and the evidence offered by the IDF is, as usual, relatively sparse. The tunnel network was presented by Israel as a significant problem, and a pretext for them expanding their invasion into the area, well outside the “yellow line” they established early in the war.
Israel is presenting this as a decisive victory over Hezbollah in the area, claiming all the Hezbollah forces resisting them in the ridge area have either been killed or fled. Hezbollah has yet to comment on the matter though, and the IDF’s ongoing attacks against the area surrounding the ridge don’t give the impression of a resolved conflict.
Nabatieh District, South Lebanon: An Israeli warplane carried out a heavy airstrike on the outskirts of Deir al-Zahrani in southern Lebanon, reportedly targeting a two-story building.. Four were reported killed and 17 wounded in this attack. August 15, 2026 | Abdul Kader Al Bay/ZUMA Press Wire)
Israeli artillery continued to hit the forests around the ridge, as well as nearby towns like Kfar Roumine. Israeli warplanes also conducted strikes against Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit. Casualties from the attacks are as yet unknown.
Lebanese officials are increasingly critical of the Israeli attacks, noting that the indiscriminate IDF strikes around the area are preventing Lebanese military deployments intended to disarm Hezbollah. Hezbollah has refused to disarm so long as Israel continues to occupy Lebanese soil.
President Joseph Aoun visited the southern city of Nabatieh on Saturday, after the massive detonations were carried out by Israel. Aoun praised the city’s medical staff, who were largely responsible for handling casualties inflicted by Israeli strikes around the surrounding area in recent weeks.
Since Israel invaded Lebanon in early March, some 4,383 people, including 395 women and 259 children, have been killed according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Over 12,000 others have been wounded in the course of the invasion, and in excess of a million civilians have been forced from their homes by IDF operations.
