Hezbollah said Saturday evening that Israeli claims its fighters are surrounded on the Ali al-Taher ridge are 'baseless', asserting the allegations are meant to boost IDF morale after what it called a failure to advance in the area. The ridge has been the scene of heavy fighting for days, with the IDF earlier saying it was surrounding Hezbollah operatives in an underground tunnel network nearby.
Hezbollah on Saturday evening categorically denied IDF claims that its fighters are surrounded in an underground tunnel network near Tebnit, north of the Ali al-Taher ridge. In a statement, the group called the assertions 'baseless' and argued they were intended to boost IDF morale after what it described as an Israeli failure to advance on the strategic height. The denial comes after the IDF reported at 21:03 Jerusalem that it had trapped dozens of Hezbollah operatives in what it called the Badr unit's underground nerve center, and that Hezbollah and Iran were attempting to rescue them. No IDF response to the denial was immediately reported.
The Zioneer reported the IDF encirclement claim in four consecutive updates beginning at 21:03 Jerusalem Saturday, evolving from an initial report that the IDF was surrounding a Hezbollah command post carrying dozens of operatives and commanders, to the IDF later confirming it held the underground compound and that dozens were besieged inside. By 21:24 Jerusalem, the IDF described a kilometer-long underground infrastructure near Tebnit, with fighting ongoing above and below ground. Throughout Saturday, Hezbollah had issued a series of statements reaffirming its commitment to the Friday ceasefire while warning it would confront what it called Israeli attempts to expand occupied territory — a position repeated in its earlier statement at 15:30 Jerusalem.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday at 17:54 Jerusalem, an Israeli military analyst assessed that IDF forces might renew attempts overnight to capture the ridge, describing it as a strategic height containing a Hezbollah underground base with rocket storage. The analyst's assessment preceded the IDF's encirclement announcement by about three hours. Background reports from Friday and early Saturday documented Hezbollah claims of anti-tank missile fire at Israeli tanks and close-quarters ground combat at the ridge.
It remains unclear whether independent confirmation exists for either the IDF's claim that dozens of operatives are surrounded or for Hezbollah's denial that any such encirclement has occurred. The IDF has not yet responded to Hezbollah's statement. Whether the Friday ceasefire applies to ongoing operations at this precise location — and whether Hezbollah's denial constitutes a violation — also remains unresolved.
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
- DevelopingIDF holds Hezbollah's underground southern command center on Ali Taher ridge
Source and signal
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