Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon as Beirut rejects US-brokered framework deal

Tunnel destruction

Israeli forces destroyed a 200-metre-long underground tunnel used by Hezbollah in the village of Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement on Sunday. The tunnel, located roughly 10 kilometres from the Israeli border, contained hundreds of weapons and several launch shafts intended for attacks on Israel, according to the statement. The United States was informed in advance of the operation. Residents in towns south of Tyre reported feeling the ground shake during the explosion, and some left their homes after Lebanese media warned of possible further detonations.

Framework agreement rejected

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday dismissed the trilateral framework deal signed by Lebanon, Israel and the US on Friday, calling it "an agreement of 'dictates'" that fails to protect Lebanon's rights. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem also rejected the accord, describing it as a surrender to Israel and asserting the group's right to self-defence. The agreement would make any Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory conditional on Beirut disarming Hezbollah through "pilot zones" to be taken over by the Lebanese army. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US President Donald Trump on Saturday that Lebanon would assume its responsibilities in implementing the deal.

“It is an agreement of 'dictates'.”

“The group will continue its armed resistance.”

Strikes in Nabatieh

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military said it killed Hezbollah militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and struck a rocket launcher in the Nabatieh area to remove threats to its soldiers. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported several strikes, and the health ministry said two people were wounded by an Israeli stun grenade in the south. The Israeli army also announced that one of its soldiers "fell in combat" in southern Lebanon, later saying it killed a Hezbollah fighter who had clashed with its forces.

Regional context

The tunnel destruction and the rejection of the framework deal come amid a wider conflict that began in March when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced. In a separate development, the United States and Iran agreed to stop strikes against each other and will meet in Doha on Tuesday to address the Strait of Hormuz dispute, though Iran also launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.