The IDF confirmed Thursday afternoon that its forces killed a Hezbollah operative who emerged from an underground shaft at the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. The military said the operative posed an immediate threat and was struck by an air force aircraft. Troops are preventing operatives from exiting the underground complex.
The IDF Spokesperson confirmed Thursday afternoon that a Hezbollah operative who emerged from an underground shaft at the Ali Taher ridge was killed in an airstrike. The operative was identified as an immediate threat by Egoz unit troops operating under Division 36, the military said, and an Air Force aircraft struck to neutralize him. Forces on the ground are now actively blocking exits from the underground complex to prevent additional operatives from escaping.
This marks the second confirmed strike at the same ridge in a single day. As The Zioneer first reported at 17:32 Jerusalem Thursday, Egoz commandos spotted the operative emerging from a tunnel shaft and called in the strike; that initial dispatch also stated that approximately 30 Hezbollah operatives remained trapped in the underground network beneath the ridge. The current statement adds that troops are now deliberately preventing those operatives from exiting the complex.
The ridge has been a recurring friction point. Over the past nine days, as The Zioneer reported at 17:12 Jerusalem on Tue Jun 23, four Hezbollah operatives were killed crossing the Yellow Line under civilian cover while trying to reach the underground infrastructure. On Wed Jun 24, another two armed operatives were eliminated by the Givati Reconnaissance unit; on Thu Jun 25, additional operatives were killed, with an analyst describing the situation of dozens trapped underground as a potential danger to soldiers above.
What remains open is the status of the operatives still inside the underground complex. The IDF has previously stated that some 30 operatives remain trapped, and that troops will prevent them from exiting — but it has not disclosed whether any have surrendered, been taken prisoner, or whether the blockade has led to any underground casualties beyond tonight's incident.
7 developments
- StrongFootage captures IDF strikes before dawn in Tebnit, Har Ali Taher, Nabatieh area
- DevelopingActivity reported in southern Lebanon, details pending
- DevelopingIsraeli fighter jet strikes Tebnit village in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingLebanese reports: three Israeli drone strikes hit Nabatieh al-Fawqa village
Source and signal
- Internal intake