Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) blew up a large Hezbollah underground facility in the southern Lebanon town of Majdal Zoun, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on June 28.
The facility, which ran some 200 meters and reached depths of over 25 meters under Majdal Zoun, was used by Hezbollah to assemble, store, and launch Iranian-made drones, according to the IDF, which said earlier this month that 50 such drones were seized from the tunnel.
In a statement, Netanyahu and Katz say that Israel updated the U.S. and the American representative in Lebanon ahead of the facility’s demolition.
The massive explosion was heard all over southern, as well as in northern Israel, where people were given prior warning by the IDF.
Later, Hezbollah said that the IDF struck the towns of Nabatieh, Mifdun, and Froun, demolished residential buildings in Al-Tayyiba, Haddatha, and Majdal Zoun, and dropped grenades and suspicious objects over the towns of Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit.
The group described the recent Israeli military actions as a violation of the ceasefire announced earlier in the month, and warned that it is “monitoring and tracking these violations, while reserving its right to defend its homeland and people.”
This escalation came just a few days after the U.S., Israel and Lebanon signed a trilateral framework agreement meant to address Israeli security concerns in southern Lebanon.
The agreement conditions an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon on the full disarmament of Hezbollah, effectively legitimizing the IDF occupation. It also bars Lebanon from legally pursuing Israel for war crimes, and while it promises economic benefits in return of all of this, the details of the aid are vague to say the least.
It is highly unlikely that the agreement, rejected by Hezbollah, will hold up. Recent developments in southern Lebanon even indicate that fighting could resume very soon.
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