Hezbollah Rejects Ceasefire as Israel Destroys Underground Tunnel in Southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has destroyed underground infrastructure used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in a village in southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister on Sunday (June 29, 2026). The attack targeted a 200-metre (656-ft) long tunnel in the town of Majdal Zoun, which the statement said contained hundreds of weapons and launchers. The United States was informed ahead of the operation.

The strike came hours after the Israeli military said it engaged Hezbollah militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and struck a rocket launcher in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon. The escalation occurs amid a fragile security environment following a U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel, signed on Friday (June 27, 2026). That agreement provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon, alongside the deployment of the Lebanese army, but permits Israeli forces to remain in an expanded security zone for the time being.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the agreement, describing it as a surrender to Israel and vowing continued armed resistance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement affirmed that Israeli forces would remain in the security zone and continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure to safeguard Israel's northern communities. More than one million Lebanese have been displaced by the conflict, which has run parallel to the wider Iran war.

Hezbollah and Iran have stated that Washington pledged to end hostilities in Lebanon as part of a memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago to end the broader conflict. The situation remains tense as both sides adhere to differing interpretations of the ceasefire terms.