---
title: "Magnitude 4.1 earthquake after strikes on Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon"
description: "The USGS recorded a magnitude 4.1 earthquake in southern Lebanon after powerful explosions. The IDF announced the demolition of Hezbollah tunnels near the Ali al-Tahir ridge, while RFI describes the event as the capture of an underground headquarters."
date: 2026-09-11T00:44:08.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/magnitude-4-1-earthquake-after-strikes-on-hezbollah-tunnels-in-southern-lebanon
tags: [lebanon, hezbollah, israel, earthquake, idf, ali-al-taher]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Magnitude 4.1 earthquake after strikes on Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon

![Armed Hezbollah fighters with rifles in southern Lebanon after strikes on tunnels that triggered an earthquake](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/zemletryasenie-posle-udara-po-tonnelam-hezbolly-v-livane/zemletryasenie-posle-udara-po-tonnelam-hezbolly-v-livane-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The USGS recorded a magnitude 4.1 earthquake in southern Lebanon after a series of powerful explosions.
- The IDF announced the demolition of Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the area of the Ali al-Tahir ridge.
- RFI characterizes the same event as the capture of a Hezbollah underground headquarters, not merely its destruction.
- The events are unfolding against the backdrop of a ceasefire resumed in June and the preparation of an international mission to verify disarmament.

Underground tremors have been recorded in southern Lebanon, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) assessed as a magnitude 4.1 earthquake. According to The Times of Israel, cited by RBC-Ukraine, the seismic activity was detected immediately after reports of a series of powerful explosions in the southern part of the country. AFP journalists on the scene reported a strong explosion that caused noticeable tremors, while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz published images showing a fireball bursting in the sky over the region.

### Tremors after the strikes

The temporal coincidence of the seismic event and the reports of explosions allows the earthquake to be linked to the demolition of underground facilities. The magnitude of 4.1 recorded by the USGS is characteristic of local technological or explosive tremors, rather than a natural tectonic earthquake. This is why the US Geological Survey tied the recording to reports of powerful explosions in southern Lebanon, rather than to a natural epicenter.

### IDF statement

The press service of the Israeli army (IDF) announced the demolition of Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon and provided corresponding footage. According to the official statement, underground infrastructure was blown up in the area of the Ali al-Tahir ridge in the south of the country. The statement emphasizes that the "IDF destroyed underground infrastructure in the Ali al-Tahir ridge area," which, according to Tel Aviv, is aimed at dismantling the tunnel network used by the Lebanese movement.

### Contradictory data

In the description of the operation on the Ali al-Tahir ridge, the versions of the parties and different publications diverge. The IDF and USGS emphasize the demolition and destruction of underground infrastructure, while RFI characterizes the same event as the IDF's "capture" of a Hezbollah underground headquarters under the Ali al-Tahir ridge. In other words, the same action is described either as destruction or as the capture of a facility. Moreover, RFI materials dated September 7, 2026, report an escalation in southern Lebanon with IDF retaliatory strikes on Hezbollah drones and 11 killed, yet the reports on the tunnel demolition and the earthquake itself do not cite a death toll. Thus, the nature of the operation and its human cost do not match in open sources.

### Context: ceasefire and international mission

The events are unfolding against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire regime: on June 19, according to available data, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to resume the ceasefire in Lebanon after the truce had been broken by a flare-up of the conflict. In July, the media reported that US President Donald Trump, in a phone call, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin withdrawing troops from parts of Syria and Lebanon, as Washington considers the military presence in these areas a factor exacerbating regional tensions. In August, Israel and Lebanon agreed that the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia could become potential participants in an international mission to verify Hezbollah's disarmament.

### Escalation over disarmament

The root of the confrontation goes back to the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, after which the Iran-backed Hezbollah began regularly shelling Israel from southern Lebanon, claiming support for the Palestinians, and in 2024 the conflict escalated into a large-scale military confrontation. Israel views the presence and arming of Hezbollah on its border as a direct threat and continues to demand its disarmament, while the movement has historically positioned itself as a resistance to Israel. Against the backdrop of the new strikes, Hezbollah, according to Kommersant, called on Lebanon to withdraw from negotiations with Israel, indicating a further deterioration of the negotiation track.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [IDF struck Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon, triggering an earthquake](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tsahal-vdariv-tunelyah-hezbolli-livani-shcho-1789085468.html) - Подтверждает удар по тоннелям и связь с землетрясением, ссылается на The Times of Israel.
- [Escalation in southern Lebanon: IDF responds to Hezbollah drones with strikes, 11 killed](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20260907-%D1%8D%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%8E%D0%B3%D0%B5-%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D1%85%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BB%D1%8B-11-%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%85) - Описывает отдельную эскалацию 7 сентября 2026 г. с 11 погибшими; не совпадает по деталям с событием подрыва тоннелей.
- [IDF captured a Hezbollah underground headquarters under the Ali al-Tahir ridge](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20260904-%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B1-%D1%85%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BB%D1%8B-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4-%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%B0%D1%82-%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%85%D1%8D%D1%80) - Описывает отдельную эскалацию 7 сентября 2026 г. с 11 погибшими; не совпадает по деталям с событием подрыва тоннелей.
- [Hezbollah calls on Lebanon to withdraw from negotiations with Israel in response to new strikes](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8890523) - Даёт контекст реакции «Хезболлы» на новые удары и деградации переговорного трека.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What was the magnitude of the earthquake in southern Lebanon?
**A:** The US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.1 earthquake following reports of powerful explosions.

### Q: What did the IDF state about the cause of the explosions?
**A:** The IDF press service announced the demolition of Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the area of the Ali al-Tahir ridge in southern Lebanon.

### Q: Are there discrepancies in the description of the operation?
**A:** Yes: the IDF speaks of demolition and destruction, while RFI characterizes the event as the capture of a Hezbollah underground headquarters under the Ali al-Tahir ridge.

### Q: Against what backdrop did the events occur?
**A:** Against the backdrop of a ceasefire resumed in June, Washington's calls for troop withdrawal, and the preparation of an international mission to verify Hezbollah's disarmament.