Israeli forces are operating near the Ali Tahar ridge in southern Lebanon and in the nearby village of Tebnit, close to Beaufort, as part of the ongoing ground campaign against Hezbollah. The operation comes amid the emerging ceasefire arrangement with the group, and N12 said it is aimed at understanding and explaining the main targets and their strategic importance.
According to the report, Hezbollah holds one of its largest and most important sites in the area between Ali Tahar and Tebnit, one of the organization’s key centers of gravity alongside its bases in Beirut and the Beqaa Valley. The site includes a vast underground complex of bunkers and tunnels stretching more than a kilometer, used as a command-and-control center and containing weapons stores and rocket-launch facilities.
Israel has struck the complex from the air before, but did not manage to destroy it because it is dug deep underground. The IDF therefore decided to reach the area on the ground and demolish the base, believing it was the place from which Hezbollah’s southern command has directed the fighting against the IDF over the past three years.
Hezbollah is fighting to hold the position, mostly with indirect fire, including rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles. During the night, about 50 rockets were fired at IDF forces. In response, the Air Force struck more than 50 targets in southern Lebanon overnight and in the morning, including headquarters, ammunition depots, shafts leading into the fortified tunnel complex, and launchers that had fired, or were ready to fire, at the troops.
