Israel says IDF destroyed Hezbollah tunnels on Ali Taher ridge

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israel Defense Forces have destroyed the underground infrastructure of Hezbollah on the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, in a joint statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office and published by the Israeli government on 10 September 2026. The statement said the operation was carried out on the directive of the two men and that it completed what it called the consolidation of the security zone in southern Lebanon.

According to the statement released through the government's press channels, the tunnels and the command centre on the ridge had been built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning, and were intended to serve as a staging base for what the statement described as the conquest of the Galilee. The statement said the site held observation and fire dominance over the northern Israeli towns of Metula and Kiryat Shmona, and that its destruction completes Israeli operational control of the ridge both above and below ground.

What the statement says will happen next

The Israeli leaders said the IDF will stay in the security zone and will keep destroying what they termed terror infrastructure, while blocking any attempt by Hezbollah to re-establish itself and rebuild its capabilities. Forces are deploying in the area for defensive purposes and to prevent enemy forces from returning to the ground, the statement said. The version published as a press release, marked as a translation from Hebrew, carries the same text and highlights the line that the military will remain in the zone.

The statement closes with a warning: "any attempt to harm our citizens and our forces will be met with force." It also says Israel will continue to defend its northern communities from inside Lebanese territory.

Where Ali Taher, Metula and Kiryat Shmona are

Ali Taher is a ridge in southern Lebanon, in the area overlooking Israel's northern border. Metula is the northernmost town in Israel, a small community that sits directly on the frontier with Lebanon and is surrounded on three sides by Lebanese territory. Kiryat Shmona is the largest town in the Upper Galilee, a city of tens of thousands of residents a short distance south of the border. Both places have been within range of rocket and anti-tank fire from southern Lebanon for decades, which is why the statement's reference to "observation and fire dominance" over them is the core of its argument.

What a "security zone" means in this context

The phrase has a specific history in Israeli usage. It refers to a strip of southern Lebanese territory held or controlled by Israeli forces as a buffer intended to keep hostile fighters away from communities inside Israel. The current statement does not define the boundaries of the zone it says has now been consolidated, nor does it say how large an area is involved or how many positions Israeli forces hold.

Who the actors are

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia armed movement and political party, designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and a number of other governments. Israel attributes its funding and planning support to Iran, and the joint statement repeats that attribution in describing the tunnel network on the ridge. Israel Katz serves as Defense Minister in Netanyahu's government, which the government website lists as the 37th Government.

What the statement does not say

The material published by the Israeli government is a political statement rather than an operational briefing, and it leaves a great deal open. It does not describe how the underground infrastructure was destroyed, over what period, or how much of it was involved. It gives no figures for the size of the tunnel network, no casualty information on either side, and no account of damage to nearby Lebanese communities. It does not say how many Israeli troops are deployed on or around the ridge, or for how long they are expected to remain.

There is also no Lebanese or Hezbollah response in the material, and no comment from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon or from any third party. Israel.com has not independently verified the claim that Israeli forces now hold operational control of the ridge; it rests, at this stage, on the Israeli government's own account.