The Israeli military blew up a massive tunnel network belonging to the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah, located beneath the Ali Tahrir hill in southern Lebanon, on the night of the 10th (local time).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced in a joint statement that the underground facility had been destroyed under their directives, stating, "The Israeli military has now completed the establishment of a security zone in southern Lebanon."

The Israeli military explained, "More than 1,100 tons of explosives were used to blow up the Hezbollah tunnels beneath the Ali Tahrir hill."

The military added, "With the demolition of this underground facility, we have completely concluded the operation to destroy major Hezbollah tunnel networks in the Ali Tahrir and Beaufort areas, which consist of eight tunnels with a total length of 5.4 kilometers."

In recent weeks, the Israeli military conducted operations to wipe out Hezbollah operatives inside the Ali Tahrir underground facility and subsequently carried out preparations to completely collapse the tunnel network.

Inside the tunnels, Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and drones were discovered, along with firearms, anti-tank missiles, hundreds of landmines, and other explosives.

The tunnel network on the Ali Tahrir hill that was blown up is not merely a hideout for Hezbollah.

It is considered a massive and core strategic asset, often called the "Underground Pentagon" by Western security experts.

Beneath this 600-meter-high hill, which overlooks the entire southeastern region of Lebanon including Nabatieh, lies a multi-layered underground fortress built over approximately 20 years with massive financial and technological support from Iran.

The facility was constructed by drilling deep into solid rock up to a depth of 800 meters, and is known to have a total tunnel length of 2 kilometers and a main internal complex extending over 1 kilometer.

Going beyond a simple bunker, it is said to have been designed for long-term underground resistance, fully equipped with flush toilets, shower rooms, kitchens, independent power and water supply systems, advanced communication networks, and a field hospital with an advanced operating room.

It also served as the operational command post for Hezbollah's Badr Division, the primary force in the south, and features dedicated vertical launch shafts capable of firing missiles and drones directly from the inside to the outside.

With this massive fortress, referred to as the ultimate line of defense, destroyed by the Israeli military, Hezbollah's rear command network is assessed to have effectively collapsed.

Iran reportedly warned Israel and the United States that it would retaliate if the facility were blown up, which is believed to be because officers of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were stationed there.

Synthesizing reports from foreign media and security experts, when the Israeli military surrounded the tunnels, not only Hezbollah fighters but also dozens of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps advisory officers who resided in the underground operational control room to command and support them were trapped inside.

Therefore, the Israeli military's demolition of the tunnel could potentially lead to retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and the United States by Iran under the pretext of protecting its citizens.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)