As Israel and Lebanon prepared for two days of intensive talks in Washington, IDF troops continued operating in southern Lebanon, destroying buildings, tunnels and weapons infrastructure that the military says belonged to Hezbollah.
In the ruins of Khiam, a southern Lebanese town now largely deserted after months of fighting, Israeli soldiers recently uncovered a tunnel beneath what appeared to be an ordinary clothing store. The underground compound, about 25 meters, or 80 feet, below ground, was exposed last month, the military said.
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The walls of a clothing store in Khiam, southern Lebanon, conceal an underground Hezbollah compound
(Photo: Elisha Ben Kimon)
The drive from the Israeli border takes about 20 minutes, but the area still feels like an active combat zone despite a ceasefire. Armored vehicles stop in the center of Khiam, where the destruction resembles scenes from Gaza. Much of the town has been reduced to rubble after heavy fighting by the 91st Division.
One clothing store still stands almost intact. Inside, children’s clothes hang on the walls. Beneath the floor, according to the military, Hezbollah had built an underground complex used by its fighters.
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Destruction is seen in Khiam, southern Lebanon, after months of fighting
(Photo: Elisha Ben Kimon)
Israeli forces said Givati Brigade troops fought several battles around the building last month. In one clash, soldiers killed six Hezbollah operatives in close combat inside the store. Only after clearing the structure did they discover a hole in the concrete floor leading to a tunnel network.
A regional brigade commander said Khiam holds strategic value because it overlooks the surrounding area and had been used to launch anti-tank missiles and drones. His briefing was interrupted by a radio alert warning of an incoming Hezbollah FPV drone. Troops were ordered into cover — in this case, the shell of a ruined building.
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A Hezbollah tunnel runs 25 meters beneath Khiam’s main street in southern Lebanon
(Photo: Elisha Ben Kimon)
After the threat passed, soldiers entered the shop and descended a vertical iron ladder about 10 meters underground, followed by a narrow staircase dropping another 15 meters. Inside, the air was heavy and compressed.
The military said the tunnel ran beneath stores along the town’s main street. Troops found a communications room they said was used to gather intelligence on Israeli troop movements, along with weapons storage areas, ready-to-eat food packages, batteries and mattresses.
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A poster of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen inside a Hezbollah tunnel in Khiam, southern Lebanon
(Photo: Elisha Ben Kimon)
Posters of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were found inside, which officers said pointed to Iranian backing and direction for Hezbollah.
The tunnel complex was about 20 meters long and had several exits, allowing fighters to fire and evade Israeli forces, the military said. Hezbollah operatives also cut openings through shop walls above the tunnel to move between buildings without being seen.
“We achieved full operational control here,” said Maj. A., deputy commander of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion, whose full name was withheld under military rules.
“I don’t see a situation in which we leave and Lebanese civilians return here,” he said. “We learned from Oct. 7. If we leave, they will rebuild this infrastructure immediately.”
A Givati soldier said the drone threat was real but manageable. “It is a tactical threat, not a strategic one,” he said. “After Oct. 7, we have no right to dismiss any threat. But fighting here continues as usual, with the necessary adjustments.”
The operations continue as Israeli political leaders discuss possible arrangements with Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah, while tensions with Iran threaten to reignite the broader front. For the soldiers in Khiam, the war is not over as long as the tunnels remain.