Israel destroys Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon two days after peace framework
Israeli forces destroyed an extensive Hezbollah tunnel near Majdal Zoun on Sunday, two days after Israel and Lebanon signed a US-brokered framework to pursue peace.
The operation
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz announced the destruction of the underground infrastructure, part of Operation Closing Verse, a day after the framework deal was inked in Washington. The tunnel ran more than 200 metres and reached a depth exceeding 25 metres, containing hundreds of weapons and several launch silos.
The tunnel contained hundreds of weapons and several launch silos intended to attack the State of Israel and its citizens.
The Israel Defense Forces said they notified the United States and its representative in Lebanon before the demolition. A journalist from AFP in Tyre, roughly 10 kilometres from the site near Majdal Zoun, saw smoke rising in the distance.
A fresh peace framework
On Friday, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington, with US mediation, mapping a path toward what the State Department called "durable peace and security." The accord ties an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese land to Beirut disarming Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militia.
The tunnel strike, therefore, tests the early stage of this arrangement. Israeli officials stressed that military operations in the southern buffer zone would persist. "IDF commanders and fighters will remain in the security zone of southern Lebanon and continue destroying terrorist infrastructure, eliminating threats against the northern communities, and safeguarding the security of Israel's citizens," the joint statement read.
Hezbollah's arsenal
Citing military sources, The Times of Israel reported the tunnel was used by Hezbollah to assemble, store, and launch Iranian-built drones. Israeli journalists toured the gallery several days ago, and at that time demolition was postponed because of US pressure on Israel to halt military activity in southern Lebanon under the ceasefire reached with Iran.
Despite the peace process, the presence of such an infrastructure so close to the border highlights the group's sustained military readiness. The tunnel's depth and length, coupled with launch silos, allowed Hezbollah to ready attacks while remaining concealed from surveillance.
US coordination and next steps
Both Netanyahu and Katz underscored that Washington had been informed before the blast. The coordination aligns with the framework's reliance on American diplomacy. Yet the operation signals Israel will not wait for complete disarmament to act against immediate threats.
Israel's government framed the destruction as a necessary defensive step, not a rejection of the peace effort. Still, the juxtaposition of a tunnel demolition two days after a peace signing will test the durability of the deal, especially as Hezbollah's arsenal remains outside the direct scope of the bilateral accord.
