Israel says it has cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnels under key Lebanon ridge
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that military forces have cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnels beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. The operation follows months of conflict and ongoing confidence-building measures between the two nations.
Why it matters
Control of strategic terrain in southern Lebanon remains a central point of contention in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Israel’s military has cleared Hezbollah fighters holed up in tunnels under the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday (September 4, 2026), though the Iran-backed group did not immediately comment.
Israel had said Hezbollah fighters were embedded in tunnels under the ridge, which overlooks a wide area and had become one of the most hotly contested areas in the Israel-Hezbollah war, despite a ceasefire announced in June.
Reuters reported on Thursday (September 3, 2026) that Iran had warned the United States last month that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli assault on its Hezbollah allies’ positions within the ridge.
“The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists,” Mr. Katz said on social media, after a statement by the military late on Thursday saying it had operational control of the ridge.
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