The IDF has confirmed it located and destroyed two massive Hezbollah tunnels in the southern Lebanese town of Qantara, revealing that the underground network was constructed with “direct guidance” from Iran as part of a decade-long plan to create a staging ground for a large-scale invasion of Israel’s Galilee region.
The tunnels, built over ten years and reaching depths of approximately 25 meters, span a combined two kilometers in length—making them among the longest underground systems discovered by the military in southern Lebanon. The IDF says the facilities were “funded by the Iranian terror regime and as part of Hezbollah’s plan to conquer the Galilee.”
The two tunnels, located near each other but not connected, were destroyed Tuesday evening using 450 tons of explosives, creating a blast powerful enough to warrant an advance public warning to Israeli communities from the Mediterranean coast to the Golan Heights.
Military officials revealed that the underground network was designed to serve as a massive staging ground where hundreds of Hezbollah operatives would gather when signaled, collect weapons and equipment, and prepare for coordinated attacks on Israeli towns. The invasion plans never materialized, though the extent of the preparation underscores Hezbollah’s ambitions and Iran’s strategic investment in the terrorist organization’s military capabilities.
Troops from the IDF’s 36th Division raided Qantara, located approximately 10 kilometers from Israel’s border, during the current offensive against Hezbollah, following “precise intelligence” about the tunnel systems. The entrances were designed to be relatively hidden from aerial detection.
Inside, soldiers discovered numerous weapons, ammunition, and supplies that would have allowed Hezbollah operatives to remain in the tunnels for extended periods. One tunnel contained approximately 10 rooms, each equipped with multiple bunk beds—indicating Hezbollah’s intention to house large numbers of fighters underground for sustained operations.The tunnels also featured rocket-launching shafts with launchers aimed directly at Israel, according to the military.
The IDF said the facility represented a critical piece of Hezbollah’s offensive infrastructure. Military officials stated that the tunnels were constructed “to Iranian standards,” reflecting direct Iranian involvement in both the planning and funding of the underground systems.
The tunnels are part of a larger underground network that the IDF discovered in the southern Lebanese towns of Rab al-Thalathin and Mays al-Jabal during 2024 fighting, suggesting a comprehensive Iranian-directed strategy to build subterranean invasion infrastructure across southern Lebanon.
The destruction of the tunnels occurred amid fresh violations of the Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire by Hezbollah. Minutes before the planned detonation, the IDF launched interceptors at multiple suspicious aerial targets identified in areas where Israeli forces operate in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah also launched several explosive drones that detonated near IDF troops, though no injuries were reported.
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