Israel destroys two Hezbollah tunnel network by using 450 tonnes of explosives in southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday (April 28) that it had uncovered and destroyed a major tunnel network built by Hezbollah, while also issuing new evacuation orders across southern Lebanon. Since early March, Israeli forces have been engaged in ongoing clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, despite a fragile ceasefire reached on April 17. In the town of Qantara, Israeli troops discovered ‘two Hezbollah terror tunnels, constructed over approximately a decade’ stretching about two kilometres (1.2 miles). The military said it used over 450 tonnes of explosives to destroy them.

Lebanese state media reported that the blast created a large crater in Qantara, following what had earlier been described as a major demolition operation in the area.

Images from the scene showed towering columns of smoke visible from miles away after the detonation. An Israeli military official described the network as a massive underground military installation that included an 800-metre tunnel and another extending 1.2 kilometres. The site reportedly served as "an assembly area" for Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces. According to the official, the tunnels ran beneath civilian structures, including a school and a mosque, and featured living quarters such as sleeping areas, showers, toilets, kitchenettes, and multiple assembly halls. He added that the facility was "designed, sponsored, and paid for by Iran". "Today we blew up a huge Hezbollah terror tunnel," said Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging continued operations against the group’s infrastructure.

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'No territorial ambitions'

Despite the ceasefire, both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of repeated violations, with sporadic violence continuing. Later in the day, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that one person was killed and 15 others injured, including five children and five women, in an Israeli strike on Jwaya, located about 20 kilometres to the west. The strike followed new evacuation orders issued by Israel, targeting residents of more than a dozen towns and villages and urging them to move north.

Even so, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that Israel had "no territorial ambitions in Lebanon" and would withdraw once "Hezbollah and other terror organisations... are dismantled". The evacuation notice instructed residents to leave "immediately" and head "towards the Sidon District," according to military spokesman Avichay Adraee. Soon after, Lebanese state media reported additional Israeli airstrikes across the south, targeting multiple locations, many near or outside the so-called "yellow line".

Throughout Tuesday, the Israeli military reported three separate attempts to intercept "a suspicious aerial target" in areas where troops were operating, though details were not provided. It also said Hezbollah launched several explosive drones that detonated near Israeli soldiers, without causing injuries. A similar drone incident a day earlier left one soldier seriously wounded and another with minor injuries. The conflict intensified after Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel on March 2, linking its actions to regional tensions involving Ali Khamenei.

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