The defense establishment assesses that the explosive drone launched Saturday toward Israeli forces, wounding several soldiers, originated from the underground infrastructure on the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to security analyst Yair Goldblatt. The assessment indicates that terrorists hiding in the complex are prepared to fight rather than surrender. Meanwhile, reports of ongoing attacks in the area have been noted.
Security analyst Yair Goldblatt reported early Sunday that the Israeli defense establishment assesses that the explosive drone that struck IDF forces on Saturday, wounding several soldiers, was launched from the underground tunnel complex on the Ali al-Taher ridge. The assessment, according to Goldblatt, leads to the conclusion that terrorists still hiding in the complex are determined to fight rather than surrender.
The drone incident unfolded overnight Friday-Saturday, around 2:30 a.m., when a Hezbollah explosive drone struck soldiers of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit on the ridge. As The Zioneer reported at 20:14 Saturday, an officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded, and the IDF confirmed retaliatory strikes in Nabatieh and Ansar that killed a senior Hezbollah commander. The Ali al-Taher ridge has been a recurrent flashpoint: on Aug 8, The Zioneer reported the IDF assessed that a prior Hezbollah drone aimed to help operatives escape the same underground network. Earlier, on Jul 30, Israeli officials discussed the option of blowing up the tunnels beneath the ridge, according to Goldblatt.
The ridge is described by military sources as the last location in the security zone where terrorists are confirmed present, and the IDF has repeatedly targeted it with drone-dropped incendiary bombs, as reported on Aug 8. The defense establishment's assessment is based on a single analyst's account and has not been independently confirmed. Reports of ongoing attacks in the area were noted by Goldblatt without specifying their source.
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