After Ali Taher, Israel says it's ‘ready to strike Hezbollah in other areas’
Speaking from the Nabatieh region, Israel’s chief of staff says the “Yellow Line” remains fully under Israeli control and warns against any attack on Israel.
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayBEIRUT — Israel said Friday it used more than 1,100 tons of explosives to destroy an underground Hezbollah network beneath the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, with debris blocking a road and dust blanketing nearby villages in the Marjayoun district. The explosions caused a tremor comparable to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake.
The blasts also severely damaged the ridge’s vegetation, with large sections of the landscape destroyed after weeks of Israeli shelling and explosions. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the “36th Division’s operational zone” in occupied southern Lebanon on Friday, a day after Israeli forces destroyed the tunnels and withdrew several kilometers south.
The Ali Taher ridge, southeast of Nabatieh, is the northernmost point of the area Israel calls its “buffer zone.” It is marked by a “Yellow Line,” which people approaching risk being targeted by Israeli forces.
“The Yellow Line remains entirely under our control, unchanged,” Zamir said.
“Last night, we destroyed the underground terrorist infrastructure beneath Ali al-Taher, Hezbollah’s primary command, control, and combat infrastructure, built with Iranian support,” he said.
Zamir also suggested that Israel had no intention of withdrawing from the more than 600 square kilometers of Lebanese territory it occupies in the South.
“The Lebanese Army must be effective on the ground. Otherwise, it will not be possible to advance the agreement signed between the Israeli and Lebanese governments,” he said in a filmed statement posted on social media.
He said capturing and destroying the infrastructure allowed the Israeli military to “maintain control and threaten Hezbollah in depth.”
‘Around 50 Hezbollah fighters were inside the tunnels’
The Israeli army said its forces used “more than 1,100 tons of explosives” to destroy the underground network, which it said comprised eight tunnels stretching more than 5,400 meters. The army said the operation to take control of the ridge lasted three months and followed the capture of Beaufort Castle at the end of May.
It also said around 50 Hezbollah fighters were inside the tunnels, most of whom were killed inside the network or while attempting to escape. Some managed to flee, it said. The claims could not be independently verified.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israel was prepared to continue striking Hezbollah, “including in other locations,” according to AFP.
“There is now a solid security zone, stronger than ever before, protecting our communities,” he added.
After destroying the tunnels, Israeli forces withdrew from the ridge and redeployed farther south toward the Beaufort area, according to Israeli radio station GLZ’s military correspondent. Zamir also confirmed the redeployment.
The Israeli army said the “Yellow Line” remained unchanged and that the ridge would continue to be controlled remotely through fire and observation.
Hezbollah, which had remained silent since Thursday night’s massive demolitions, issued a statement paying tribute to fighter Hussein Ali Mortada, who was reportedly killed Sunday during the capture of Ali Taher, according to our southern Lebanon correspondent.
Blasts destroy vegetation, block road
The scale of Thursday night’s explosions was visible across the surrounding area Friday morning. Residents documented extensive damage to the Ali Taher heights, with large sections of vegetation destroyed across an area stretching for an estimated two kilometers.
Rocks and soil from the blasts blocked the road between Kfar Tibnit and the Khardali bridge, one of the few remaining routes connecting southern Lebanon to the north of the country, our correspondent said.
Villages in the Marjayoun district were also covered in dust and debris, according to the National News Agency, with photos showing vehicles coated in orange dust. Some debris reached homes, prompting residents to call on the South Lebanon Water Establishment to provide water for cleaning. The area’s remaining inhabited villages include Deir Mimas, Burj al-Muluk, Qlaya, Jdeidet Marjayoun, Bouwaida, Debbine, Blat and Ibl al-Saqi.
Israeli attacks continue across the South
Israeli forces also continued military operations in several southern areas Friday. In Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), an Israeli Merkava tank shelled the town as Israeli forces moved along its northern outskirts in the Wadi al-Jamal area, according to our correspondent.
Mansouri, south of Sour, remained the village most affected by daily demolitions since the start of the week. Israeli forces carried out four explosions and shelled the coastal town, which is split in two by the “Yellow Line.” Israeli military vehicles were spotted moving in the Rabeh neighborhood.
Mansouri’s public school was also completely destroyed in overnight airstrikes, according to mokhtar Abbas Mdeyhli. Several missiles directly hit the building, causing it to collapse, he said.
Israeli artillery targeted Nabatieh Fawqa, Khiam (Marjayoun) and the outskirts of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya). Israeli drones dropped stun grenades in Yater and Haddatha (Bint Jbeil).
Earlier in the morning, Israeli artillery fired four shells at Beit Yahoun (Bint Jbeil), while military vehicles were seen moving in Wadi Slouqi, near the “Yellow Line.” Artillery fire also targeted Wadi Hujeir (Marjayoun) and the Ali Taher heights.
Near Beit Yahoun, Israeli troops conducted a sweep with automatic weapons fire and artillery shelling toward an area where rescuers from the Al-Rissala Scouts, a civil defense organization affiliated with the Amal Movement, had deployed. The fire forced the team to retreat, our correspondent reported.
Reporting contributed by our southern Lebanon correspondent, Muntasser Abdallah
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