Part of the destruction in the village of Majdal Zoun, in southern Lebanon, on June 29, 2026, following overnight Israeli demolition operations. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Majdal Zoun, a village in the Sour district overlooking southern Lebanon, was "cut in two" by a large-scale Israeli blast overnight from Sunday to Monday, residents told our correspondent, while the Israeli occupation army claims to have destroyed a "200-meter-long tunnel" there.
Contacted by our correspondent, Haidar, a resident of the village, said a powerful explosion caused by the Israeli occupation army's overnight blasting operations literally "cut the village in two."
The chasm created by the explosives, whose exact dimensions and depth remain unknown, is now visible from neighboring villages.
During the night, massive explosions and plumes of smoke shook the entire region during the Israeli occupation army's blasting operation.
The explosions were so powerful that residents of Mansouri, Haniyeh and neighboring villages felt a tremor before the main detonation, which was also heard near Ansar, Doueir and the villages of Zahrani.
Shortly beforehand, the Lebanese army ordered Mansouri residents to evacuate the town in anticipation of the Israeli blasting operation in the neighboring village.
Collapses in several places
The Israeli occupation army claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying it had "destroyed a tunnel containing hundreds of weapons and four launch ramps aimed at Israeli territory."
The Israeli occupation army announced the discovery of the tunnel a week earlier and organized a tour of the site for embedded journalists.
"This tunnel was built using technologies and know-how attributed to the Iranian regime," the Israeli occupation army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote in a post on X, claiming it was more than 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep.
Villagers told our correspondent the tunnel "extended under the most densely populated part of Majdal Zoun," including the public square, homes, and the mosque, following a route with several branches that reportedly caused collapses in several places.
The village of Haddatha, in the Bint Jbeil district, was also targeted by overnight house demolitions.
Monday was also marked by sporadic incidents in the South, including artillery fire on Yohmor al-Shaqif, in the Nabatieh district.
A stun grenade was also dropped by a drone on Ibl al-Saqi, in the Marjayoun district.
During the night, shortly after 10 p.m., Israeli aircraft struck a building in the al-Maslakh neighborhood of Nabatieh, prompting residents to flee to Saida, according to our correspondent.
Israeli gunfire was also reported in the Hujeir Valley, in the Bint Jbeil district, while Israeli military vehicles were seen operating in the area.
Faced with what it described as "blatant violations of the cease-fire," Hezbollah said it reserves the right to "defend its homeland."
In a statement released overnight from Sunday to Monday, the group "reaffirms that what the enemy has done is a flagrant violation of the cease-fire to which it had adhered until now, and that it is monitoring and documenting these violations, reserving the right to defend its homeland and its people."
Hezbollah referred to several attacks reported over the weekend, including an Israeli strike on a residential building in Nabatieh, another targeting a residential building in Mayfadoun, in the Nabatieh district, and a drone strike in Froun, in the Bint Jbeil district.
The movement said these attacks constitute a "clear violation" of the cease-fire, while maintaining that it continues to "comply" with it.
The framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel provides for an initial partial Israeli withdrawal from two "pilot zones" in the South, which will be handed over to the Lebanese Army.
Reporting was contributed by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.
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