The IDF says dozens of operatives are trapped underground at the Ali Taher ridge compound in southern Lebanon, which it defines as the nerve center of Hezbollah's Badr unit. The situation follows days of clashes as Israeli forces maintain control of the strategic site.
The IDF confirmed Saturday that dozens of Hezbollah operatives are now trapped inside the underground nerve center of the Badr unit on the Ali Taher ridge, after Israeli forces secured operational control of the compound. By 21:03 Jerusalem, the military had reported that the site — built by Iran — is fully in Israeli hands, with Hezbollah's elite Radwan force fighters among those besieged underground.
The confirmation caps a fast-moving thread that began with initial IDF briefings to military correspondents at 21:03 Jerusalem on Saturday, when the military first said it was encircling the command post. Within the same hour, a separate report by Amit Segal (N12) and later briefings cited by Abu Ali Express detailed that some 30 Hezbollah operatives were trapped and that Hezbollah and Iran were scrambling to rescue them — accounts that the IDF's latest statement now corroborates with greater specificity. Earlier background context shows the battle for the ridge has been intense: The Zioneer reported on Friday June 19 that four IDF soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah tunnel ambush (09:32 Jerusalem) and that heavy ground fighting erupted near Kfar Tebnit (16:08 Jerusalem). By 23:03 Friday, field reports described close-quarters combat on the ridge.
Hezbollah denies that Israel has captured the ridge and claims the ongoing fighting violates the ceasefire, as The Zioneer reported on Saturday. The ridge has been a key strategic objective throughout the campaign, serving as Hezbollah's southern front war room for directing fire at Israeli forces and northern Israeli communities.
It remains unclear when the IDF will clear the compound or how the trapped operatives will be extracted or neutralized. The IDF has not confirmed a timeline, and Hezbollah continues to claim it still holds the ridge.
5 developments
- DevelopingHezbollah says committed to ceasefire but will confront IDF advances at Ali al-Taher ridge
- StrongAnalyst warns renewed IDF push at Ali al-Taher ridge tonight amid strategic Hezbollah base
- StrongIDF ground troops battle Hezbollah at Ali Taher ridge, southern Lebanon
- StrongAl Jazeera confirms IDF maneuvering forces advancing toward Ali al-Taher ridge
Source and signal
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