World
IDF captures Hezbollah drone factory and launch site hidden inside south Lebanon mountain
MAJDAL ZOUN, Lebanon — Buried beneath a hilltop village in southern Lebanon, just kilometers from the Israeli border, the Hezbollah terror group built an underground drone “airbase” from which it launched Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles at Israel.
The subterranean facility, guarded by massive steel blast doors, was built in the past decade with direct Iranian assistance, including planning and funding, Israeli military officials told The Times of Israel during an organized media tour of the site last week.
Journalists were brought into Lebanon at dusk, so that the visit to the tunnel would take place under the cover of darkness — an attempt by the military to mitigate the possibility of Hezbollah attacks on members of the press.
As the sun set over the Mediterranean, reporters were driven in a convoy of Humvees along the Lebanese coast before heading east toward Majdal Zoun, some six kilometers (10 miles) from the Israeli frontier.
With just the moonlight and glowsticks to illuminate the way, soldiers led the group to the tunnel’s main entrance, which was accessible from the ground level on the north side of the mountain.
The tunnel and surrounding area, which was delineated as part of the southern Lebanon security zone buffer area in an updated IDF map Thursday, were captured this month by a reservist commando and paratroopers formation.
The operation took place amid a porous ceasefire in which both Israel and Hezbollah have continued to attack each other.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel runs several hundred meters into the mountain, reaching depths of 29 meters (95 feet) under Majdal Zoun — including beneath a mosque.
The IDF has uncovered similar Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon in the past, but commanders said this one was built to a “much higher standard,” comparable with an underground Iranian missile factory in Syria that the military raided in September 2024.
Soldiers and officers were made available to the tour on condition of anonymity, in line with military protocol.
Inside the tunnel, which was wide enough for a standard vehicle to drive through, Hezbollah had assembled Iranian-made drones using parts smuggled into Lebanon, according to the army.
Iran, which has invested heavily in drone development and production, has long been understood to supply its Lebanese proxy group with missiles and other arms meant to be used against Israel.
After capturing the tunnel, soldiers found around 50 UAVs with warheads of around 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of explosives apiece, officers said.
The drones appeared to be of the same type used in attacks on Israel, such as a deadly October 2024 strike on the Golani Brigade’s training base. They can typically fly 200 to 500 kilometers (125 to 310 miles), enough to reach all of Israel, according to IDF officials. Military analyst Fabian Hinz identified the UAVs as an Iranian drone design, known as the Qasef in the service of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The capture of the tunnel marked the first time that the IDF had access to fully intact Iranian drones of this kind, providing the military with valuable intelligence, one officer told The Times of Israel.
The drones, in various states of assembly, were placed on display along the tunnel’s concrete walls for journalists on the tour to see.
In addition to the UAVs, the troops found around eight tons of explosive material in the underground site’s rooms, according to the army.
“These are drones that threatened the State of Israel throughout its length and breadth. We came here to deprive Hezbollah of these capabilities,” a squadron commander in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit told reporters.
On the southern side of the mountain were shafts from which Hezbollah would launch the UAVs at Israel.
“At the end of the tunnel, there are exits, four exits protected by blast doors on rails. They can be opened and allow launching of UAVs at Israel,” the Yahalom officer said.
Military officials described the facility as a sort of UAV “airbase” and factory, saying it was built strategically in Majdal Zoun because of its relative proximity to Israel, but not too close to the border.
“Six kilometers from our territory, and it is also close to the coastline. It also enables launches [of UAVs] in those directions,” the Yahalom officer said.
The drone-launching tunnel shafts were inaccessible during the tour. Some 100 meters from the entrance of the facility, journalists hit a dead end where the tunnel had collapsed, with a car buried beneath the rubble.
According to the IDF, during the war with Hezbollah in 2024, the Israeli Air Force bombed the site to seal it off and put it out of use. However, military officials said the terror group had later attempted to restore the facility.
As troops advanced into southern Lebanon following hostilities that erupted in early March in reaction to the Iran war, the military decided to push into Majdal Zoun on the ground to capture the site and demolish it.
Hezbollah briefly attempted to defend the village, according to the IDF. Senior officers said the reservist commandos killed three Hezbollah gunmen in close-quarters combat and directed a drone strike on four other operatives in Majdal Zoun.
Several Hezbollah operatives attempted to approach the village after the IDF captured it, but were also struck before they were able to get close, military officials said.
The IDF was expected to demolish the facility upon completing scans of the tunnels.
