Security analyst Yair Goldblatt wrote early Friday that the tunnel beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon does not contain Hezbollah operatives, contrary to earlier speculation. He argued that the fact the tunnel has not been blown up despite a recent violation reflects Iranian insistence on preserving it and American sensitivity over its destruction.
Security analyst Yair Goldblatt issued a clarification early Friday morning regarding the tunnel network beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. In a post, Goldblatt stated that the tunnel is not one where Hezbollah operatives are fortified, addressing questions that followed his previous report. He noted that the fact that the tunnel has not been detonated despite a recent violation — likely the Hezbollah drone strike on an IDF D9 bulldozer reported Thursday — demonstrates the depth of Iranian insistence on preserving the site and American sensitivity about its destruction. Goldblatt directed readers to an earlier highlighted report for further context.
The clarification comes hours after Goldblatt's earlier analysis on Thursday evening raised the question of whether the tunnels under the ridge hold Hezbollah and possibly Iranian operatives. The Zioneer had reported on that speculation. The tunnel complex beneath Ali al-Taher has been a focal point of IDF operations in southern Lebanon, with the military establishing control over the area while Hezbollah operatives remain trapped in the underground network. The situation has been complicated by political constraints that prevent the IDF from entering the tunnels, according to prior analyses.
2 developments
- DevelopingIDF Maintains Above-Ground Control at Ali al-Taher Ridge; Hezbollah Operatives Trapped in Tunnels, Analysis Says
- DevelopingIsrael discusses response to Hezbollah drone strike on IDF D9; option to blow up tunnels under Ali al-Taher ridge raised
- StrongAnalyst warns renewed IDF push at Ali al-Taher ridge tonight amid strategic Hezbollah base
- ConfirmedHezbollah denies IDF claims of surrounding its fighters at Ali al-Taher ridge
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Open-source intake