The IDF believes between 30 and 40 Hezbollah terrorists remain trapped inside an underground tunnel network beneath the Beaufort Castle area and other locations along the Ali al-Taher Ridge, with military officials saying their chances of escaping alive are “virtually nonexistent.”

According to a military official, troops from the 36th Division have eliminated 10 armed Hezbollah terrorists in recent days after they attempted to reach the tunnels from the Nabatieh area to rescue the terrorists trapped inside.

The IDF currently controls all of the tunnel shafts leading into the underground network. Military officials said no attempts have been detected by the trapped terrorists to emerge from the tunnels.

“They understand that we control the shafts from the outside, and their chances of getting out are virtually nonexistent,” the official said.

The IDF also assesses that Hezbollah is currently avoiding attacks on Israeli forces, including anti-tank missile fire and explosive drone attacks, out of concern that any such action could trigger renewed fighting and prompt Israel to strike the tunnel network where the trapped terrorists are located.

Separately, Lebanon’s framework agreement with Israel continues to generate political controversy inside Lebanon. According to a report by Lebanese journalist Mohammad Alloush published in An-Nashra, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, is working to assemble a broad political front to oppose the agreement while trying to prevent internal unrest.

According to political sources cited in the report, Berri was surprised by the scope of the concessions Lebanon agreed to during the negotiations and believes they go significantly beyond positions presented in earlier stages of the talks. Rather than launching a public campaign, however, he is reportedly pursuing a political effort aimed at containing the dispute and preventing deeper divisions within Lebanon.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)