The IDF carried out widespread air and artillery strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon overnight Sunday, in response to a Hezbollah ceasefire violation in which an explosive drone was launched at Israeli forces, wounding three soldiers on the Ali al-Taher ridge, according to a security report. The strikes concentrated on the ridge and targeted Hezbollah underground infrastructure, with assessments that ground operations may expand.
The IDF launched widespread air and artillery strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight Sunday, focusing on underground infrastructure on the Ali al-Taher ridge and nearby villages Roumine and Deir Siryan, according to a security situation report. The strikes — described as the most extensive in the area in recent days — included fixed-wing aircraft, heavy artillery, and flares, and targeted Hezbollah tunnel networks and command positions. The operation follows a Hezbollah ceasefire violation late Saturday night, in which an explosive drone struck Israeli forces on the ridge, wounding three soldiers from the Yaelam engineering unit, one in critical but stable condition and two seriously wounded.
As The Zioneer reported Saturday evening (Aug 15, 17:49 Jerusalem), the drone attack occurred around 02:30 in the security zone along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The IDF responded initially with artillery on the ridge and an airstrike on a Hezbollah command headquarters in Ansar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire by attacking troops inside the Yellow Line, and accused the group of using civilians as human shields at the command post. By early Sunday, the defense establishment assessed that the drone was launched from Hezbollah's underground complex on the Ali al-Taher ridge, where IDF engineering units have been operating in recent weeks to locate and dismantle tunnels.
The Zioneer has previously reported that the Ali al-Taher ridge hosts Hezbollah's primary underground headquarters in southern Lebanon, and that IDF operations in the area have been ongoing for weeks to neutralize the tunnel network. The overnight strikes constitute a major escalation, raising assessments that the IDF may be preparing to expand ground operations to capture and clear the ridge's subterranean infrastructure. No official confirmation of a ground expansion has been provided. Casualty figures from the overnight strikes have not yet been reported.
11 developments
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- DevelopingIDF: 4 troops wounded in Hezbollah encounter in southern Lebanon, officer moderately
- ConfirmedIDF kills two Hezbollah operatives in northern border incident
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