Iran Warns US of Wide-Scale Retaliation if Israel Seizes Lebanon Hill

Iran has warned the United States that any Israeli move to seize the strategic Ali al-Taher hill in southern Lebanon would trigger a broad Iranian military response, Reuters reported. The threat was conveyed amid reports of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel and Hezbollah fighters being present in an underground fortified facility in the area.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Iran delivered its message to Washington via Oman in August. Tehran asserted that any Israeli ground operation to capture the hill would be met with direct Iranian retaliation, viewing such an action as a violation of understandings reached in Islamabad in June, which included a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Sources privy to Iran's stance indicated that the facility houses over a dozen IRGC members, including at least two senior officers, along with Hezbollah operatives. However, Israeli military sources have previously estimated that no Iranian forces are present at the site. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) consider Ali al-Taher hill a key focus of their military activities.

The report states that Israel has imposed a strict siege on the underground facility, using drones to intercept attempts to deliver food and water, aiming to make survival inside impossible. Hezbollah confirmed that Iran's warning was a "natural conclusion," cautioning that a large-scale Israeli assault on the hill would signify the end of the ceasefire and a return to full-scale war, including rocket fire towards northern Israeli towns.

The White House denied exerting any pressure on Israel to prevent an attack, while the IDF declined to comment on the report.