According to an i24NEWS report, the IDF destroyed a tunnel route on the strategic Ali Taher ridge, which originated under the Beaufort ridge and extended north of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. The operation continues the IDF's campaign to dismantle Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the area.
i24NEWS reported this morning that the IDF destroyed a tunnel route on the strategic Ali Taher ridge, which originated under the Beaufort ridge and extended northward to the outskirts of Nabatieh. The operation follows the IDF's demolition of the main Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Beaufort ridge earlier today (Friday, 09:17 Jerusalem), which used approximately 700 tons of explosives in response to a Hezbollah drone attack on an IDF engineering vehicle in the same sector two and a half days prior. The Ali Taher ridge, a dominant elevation roughly 697 meters above sea level, has been a key objective in the IDF's expanded ground maneuver in southern Lebanon.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday, June 13, IDF forces advanced to the outskirts of Nabatieh and reached the Ali Taher ridge, which intelligence described as housing a massive subterranean complex built by Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Friday, June 19, The Zioneer reported that the IDF was engaged in intense combat to complete the capture of the ridge, with Hezbollah offering resistance using anti-tank guided missiles, loitering munitions, and rocket fire. The ridge's underground fortress, constructed since 2014, served as the headquarters for Hezbollah's Badr Unit and a central artillery command-and-control node. The destruction of this additional tunnel route extends the IDF's campaign to dismantle Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the Nabatieh sector.
Background reporting by The Zioneer on Saturday, June 20, detailed the Ali Taher ridge as a critical tactical gateway separating the Litani River valley from the Nabatieh plateau, granting fire control over the city of Nabatieh, a primary Hezbollah urban hub. The IDF has stated its objective of dismantling Hezbollah's "ring of fire" and cross-border attack capabilities, with the destruction of the Beaufort network earlier today marking a significant step in that effort.
The IDF has not officially commented on the specific i24NEWS report. The full extent of the tunnel network on the Ali Taher ridge and its operational status remain details that are not independently verified. The destruction of further routes, however, indicates the ongoing nature of the IDF's underground clearance operations.
4 developments
- StrongIDF clears Hezbollah tunnel network beneath Beaufort Ridge, advances near Nabatieh
- StrongIDF completes capture of Ali Taher ridge, renames it Ma'ale Tahara
- StrongIDF eliminates Hezbollah operative near tunnel shaft, strikes vehicle threat at Ali al-Taher Ridge
- StrongNew activity reported at Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon
Source and signal
- Open-source intake