The IDF is completing its operational preparations to neutralize Hezbollah's tunnel networks on the strategic Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, with the decision on timing approaching, The Zioneer reports. Options under consideration include carrying out the operation before Rosh Hashanah or postponing to a later date. Israeli officials are factoring in the possibility of an Iranian response, given Hezbollah's pressure on Tehran.
The IDF has completed its operational preparations for a mission to neutralize Hezbollah's tunnel network on the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, and the decision on when to execute the operation is now approaching, The Zioneer reports. Options include launching the operation before Rosh Hashanah or waiting for a later date, with Israeli security officials also weighing the risk of an Iranian response.
The Ali Taher ridge has been a focal point of the northern front for months. As The Zioneer previously reported, the IDF captured the ridge in a major operation in August and subsequently destroyed tunnel networks there, before drawing a new security line closer to the border in early September. Hezbollah is understood to have continued underground activity in the area, and the current preparations target remaining tunnels.
The timing decision is the central variable. An operation before the Jewish New Year would signal urgency, while a delay could allow additional diplomatic maneuvering. Israeli planners are accounting for potential Iranian escalation, as Hezbollah has pressed Tehran for support. What remains unclear is whether the operation will remain a localized counter-tunnel raid or trigger a wider confrontation.
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