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A 4.1-MAGNITUDE earthquake was recorded in southern Lebanon on Thursday after powerful explosions rocked the area as Israel said it was destroying underground infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the tremor after Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported a series of large Israeli explosions at Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, accompanied by loud blasts and shaking.
An AFP correspondent reported a major explosion that caused the ground to shake, while Israel’s Defence Ministry released images showing a fireball rising into the sky.
The blasts came days after Israeli authorities said their forces had taken control of Ali al-Taher ridge, where they alleged Hezbollah had built an extensive network of tunnels to launch attacks against Israel from the mountainous area.
Israel has occupied parts of southern Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he wanted to establish a security zone to prevent attacks on northern Israel.
“This is strategic terrorist infrastructure built over more than two decades with Iranian funding and planning,” Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
They said the destruction of the complex completed Israel’s operational control of Ali al-Taher ridge, both above and below ground.
The USGS recorded the 4.1-magnitude tremor in the area after the explosions.
“We were sitting and everything was shaking,” said Joelle Fares, who had recently moved to Majayoun, according to AFP.
Israel announced last week that its forces had captured Ali al-Taher ridge.
The Israeli military said the Hezbollah infrastructure stretched for more than two kilometres and contained dozens of rockets, missiles and Iranian-made drones, as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, hundreds of mines and explosives.
AFP correspondents in southern Lebanon also reported hearing powerful explosions on Thursday afternoon.
The Israeli military said the underground complex housed a command centre for Hezbollah’s Badr unit.
A military official told AFP that some members of the armed group operating in the ridge had withdrawn, while others had been killed in airstrikes and artillery fire. - September 11, 2026
