Israel declares Hezbollah tunnels cleared under Lebanon's Ali al-Taher ridge
Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the military had cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnels under the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, completing what he called securing of Israel's security zone, and vowed troops would stay until Hezbollah is disarmed. Reuters reported Iran had warned Washington of a forceful response to any assault on the ridge, and said it could not independently verify Hezbollah's status there; Hezbollah made no immediate comment.
Geopolitics··Evening
Katz says the tunnel clearance completes control of the ridge
Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said on Friday that the capture of the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon completes the securing of what he calls Israel's security zone in the occupied south, and that troops will stay there until Hezbollah is disarmed across the country. The Israeli military said on Thursday it had taken operational control of the ridge and cleared two underground routes, killing some Hezbollah fighters while others fled. The army described the tunnels as containing operations rooms, sleeping quarters, generators and a kitchen, built over roughly two decades and funded by Iran. Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections on 27 October, would keep a clear and uncompromising line on Lebanon, and warned that any Hezbollah attempt to strike Israeli forces would be met with force. Hezbollah made no immediate comment, and the account rests on the Israeli military's own statements.[1]
Katz declares the mission complete as Reuters flags an Iranian warning
Katz said on social media on Friday that the mission was completed and the tunnels cleared of fighters, a day after the military's statement that it held operational control of the ridge. Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command centre and weapons stores beneath the ridge and had said it would resist any Israeli assault, though it did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported that Iran had warned Washington last month it would respond forcefully to an Israeli assault on Hezbollah's positions on the ridge, and said it was unable to independently verify the ridge's status. Israel has expanded its military presence across parts of southern Lebanon since launching its latest campaign against Hezbollah in March, and the fighting has continued despite a ceasefire announced in June.[2]
A strategic overlook stays contested despite the announced clearance
The ridge overlooks several villages and the main roads leading to the city of Nabatieh, and both accounts describe it as central to Hezbollah's presence and supply lines in the area; losing it would disrupt that network. Neither source could confirm Hezbollah's own account of the ridge's status, since the group made no statement in either report, and the fighting has continued on the ground even after the June ceasefire and framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Israel's stated timeline links the announcement to a broader campaign: forces began operations against Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in March, and Katz's declaration that Israel would not withdraw from the wider security zone until Hezbollah's nationwide disarmament ties the ridge to a demand Hezbollah has so far rejected.[1], [2]
