Fighting intensifies around strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge as Israel targets weapons sites and Hezbollah operatives
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel struck Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon overnight Sunday after the Iranian-backed terrorist organization launched two explosive drones at Israeli troops operating near the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday.
The drones caused no Israeli casualties, but the attack marked the third Hezbollah drone assault in the area within a week, according to the IDF. Israel responded by striking Hezbollah infrastructure, including a weapons storage facility, while also targeting operatives allegedly transferring weapons near Kfar Reman, northeast of Nabatieh.
The IDF said several Hezbollah operatives were killed in additional strikes around Nabatieh. Lebanon’s Health Ministry, however, said Monday that Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people, including two children. Israel said it was reviewing reports that civilians had been harmed and stressed that precautions, including precision weapons and aerial surveillance, were used before the strikes.
The latest fighting comes only days after Israeli forces announced they had taken “operational control” of the Ali al-Taher Ridge, where troops uncovered and cleared extensive Hezbollah tunnel networks. The IDF said the underground infrastructure had been constructed over roughly two decades with Iranian planning and funding.
The confrontation widened again Monday when a Hezbollah terrorist attacked Israeli soldiers at close range near the Beaufort Ridge. Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded but returned fire and killed the attacker, according to the military. Israel subsequently struck additional Hezbollah weapons depots, command centers and other infrastructure.
The escalation is putting renewed strain on the U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework, which calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the Lebanese army eventually assuming security responsibility in the south. Israel maintains that it will continue acting against Hezbollah whenever the organization threatens Israeli civilians or troops, while remaining committed to the broader agreement.
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