The highland, located roughly 10 kilometres from the Israeli border and perched above the Litani river, had become one of the most contested flashpoints in the Israel-Hezbollah war despite a ceasefire announced in June. The Israeli military said Thursday it had operational control of the ridge, and Katz confirmed Friday that the mission was complete.
Tunnel Network Built Over Two Decades
The Israeli military described the underground infrastructure as a strategic network containing command centres and weapons storage rooms. In a statement, the army said the tunnels were “built over two decades and funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”
Hezbollah fighters embedded in the tunnels were targeted during the operation. The Israeli military said some were “eliminated” while others fled. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the loss of the position, and Reuters could not independently verify the status of the ridge.
The scale of the network underscores how entrenched Hezbollah’s infrastructure had become in southern Lebanon since the group drew the country into the broader Middle East war in March, following the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Strategic Value of the Ridge
The Ali al-Taher ridge overlooks Iqlim al-Tuffah, an area further from the border where Hezbollah holds sway, as well as parts of eastern Lebanon. Kahwaji, who heads the INEGMA military analysis institute, told reporters that control of the hilltops would “give the Israelis an easy passage to move on both sides.”
The position lies close to the major city of Nabatieh and just a few kilometres from UNESCO-listed Beaufort castle, another strategic site Israel captured in recent months. Its proximity to the Litani river is significant: Hezbollah agreed to disarm in areas south of the river under a 2024 ceasefire that ended the previous Israel-Hezbollah war.
Ceasefire Strained as Occupation Expands
Israel has expanded its military occupation over swathes of southern Lebanon since launching its new campaign against Hezbollah in March. In June, the Israeli army published an updated map showing the parts of southern Lebanon it considers within its “security zone,” explicitly including the Ali al-Taher ridge.
The seizure comes despite the June ceasefire and follows weeks of Israeli strikes on the ridge. Reuters reported Thursday that Iran warned the United States last month it would respond forcefully to any Israeli assault on Hezbollah’s positions within the ridge. Hezbollah had separately vowed to resist any Israeli assault.
Speaking to journalists including AFP last month, Hezbollah spokesman Youssef al-Zein refused to say how many fighters were at the Ali al-Taher position. He denied that Iranian personnel were present, as some media outlets had reported, and accused Israel of having “exaggerated the importance of Ali al-Taher” as a military objective. He nonetheless pledged that Hezbollah would “defend this position as much as it can.”
What Happens Next
The fall of Ali al-Taher marks a significant territorial loss for Hezbollah and raises questions about whether Iran will act on its warning to Washington. Watch for any response from Tehran, which has framed an Israeli assault on Hezbollah positions as a trigger for forceful retaliation. Hezbollah’s silence so far is notable — a public acknowledgment would confirm a battlefield defeat, while continued ambiguity may signal the group is regrouping.
Israel’s expanded “security zone” now includes territory well north of the Litani river, the line Hezbollah was meant to vacate under the 2024 ceasefire. Whether international mediators — particularly the United States and France, who brokered the earlier truce — push back on the widening occupation will determine whether the June ceasefire survives in any form or collapses into full-scale confrontation. Expect further Israeli operations around Nabatieh and the Beaufort corridor as the military seeks to consolidate its gains.
— Sofia Alvarez, world desk, AXO News