Hezbollah issued a special statement Thursday evening denying IDF control of the Ali al-Taher ridge and Kfar Tebnit, in response to an IDF map published earlier. The group claims it repelled Israeli attempts to advance over several days, including an anti-tank strike on a Merkava tank at 01:50 Thursday, and that Israeli forces remain only at the village's southern outskirts. The claims are unverified by independent sources.
Hezbollah on Thursday afternoon issued a formal statement denying reports that the IDF has established control over the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge and the village of Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon, directly responding to a map published earlier by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. The statement, attributed to the group's military media arm, describes a multi-day battle since Monday (June 15) in which Hezbollah claims to have repelled repeated IDF advances using anti-tank missiles, rockets, drones, and explosive drones. The group asserts that at 01:50 Thursday morning, its fighters struck an IDF Merkava tank with 'appropriate means,' achieving a confirmed hit and forcing the assembled force to withdraw from the area. Hezbollah acknowledges that Israeli ground forces remain positioned at the southern outskirts of Kfar Tebnit, from the direction of Arnoun, but insists the ridge and village remain under its control.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, IDF ground forces have been operating in the Tebnit sector and advancing toward Ali al-Taher ridge since at least June 13, with multiple rounds of clashes and artillery exchanges documented over the past week. The IDF has not formally confirmed the capture of the ridge. The Hezbollah statement, while detailed, is a single-source claim from an adversarial organization and remains unverified by independent or Israeli channels.
2 developments
- DevelopingHezbollah views Ali al-Taher ridge as a serious matter, analyst says
- StrongAl Jazeera confirms IDF maneuvering forces advancing toward Ali al-Taher ridge
- DevelopingIDF pushes into three new axes in southern Lebanon, sources report
- StrongIDF expands controlled area in southern Lebanon since April ceasefire, captures Ali al-Taher ridge — new map comparison shows
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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