From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 2, 2026
IDF: Hezbollah operative killed after emerging from tunnel, threatening forces in southern Lebanon
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Hezbollah operative who emerged from the terror group’s underground facility at the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon was killed in an airstrike earlier today, the IDF says.
The military says troops of the Egoz Commando Unit spotted a Hezbollah operative emerging from one of the tunnel shafts on the ridge, which is located inside the IDF’s south Lebanon security zone.
“The terrorist posed an immediate threat to our forces,” the IDF says, adding that the Israeli Air Force struck “and eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat.”
The IDF says it continues to operate at the Ali Taher ridge, beneath which Hezbollah has a massive underground complex, where some 30 operatives are holed up. The military says it will “not allow Hezbollah terrorists to exit the underground tunnel network or move in the area of the ridge.”
צה"ל חיסל מחבל חיזבאללה לאחר שיצא מתשתית הטרור התת-קרקעית ברכס עלי טהאר
כוחות יחידת אגוז הפועלים בפיקוד אוגדה 36 זיהו מוקדם יותר היום, מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שיצא מאחד הפירים של התשתית התת-קרקעית הנמצאת ברכס עלי טהאר, במרחב הביטחוני בו פועלים כוחות צה"ל.
המחבל היווה איום… pic.twitter.com/MAefrYhUu0
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 2, 2026
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