The State of Israel has destroyed a massive network of tunnels by the Hezbollah terrorists under the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon. Top Israeli officials announced late on Thursday the operation, which involved 700 tons of explosives.

The massive demolition was a direct response to a “blatant” violation of a recently agreed-upon truce by the Lebanese militant group, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Ministry of Defense led by Israel Katz said.

The government will not accept any provocation of the ceasefire, the joint statement released by Prime Minister’s Office says. In response, the leadership threatened that acts by Hezbollah against Israelis civilians or troops would be met with a “severe and strong response” that would cost Hezbollah “heavily.

To ensure complete disarming of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure, Israeli leaders confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will keep an occupation force in the southern Lebanon. The military said it had accomplished the task of securing the Beaufort Ridge area, which involved clearing the underground routes, over the past several weeks, before they could be destroyed. A preliminary part of the demolition was completed on July 13th.

A general demolition was initially planned to take place earlier, but was delayed following a framework agreement struck in June. According to this agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) must be deployed in the southern areas that Hezbollah previously controlled, in order to facilitate Israel’s withdrawal from its southern buffer zone.

Technical teams from both countries are scheduled to meet Aug. 4-6 to make sure the terms are met. The talks will concentrate on the next steps in implementing the framework, leading to the hope of a permanent peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon.