The IDF launched overnight airstrikes and artillery fire targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge and the villages of Roumaine and Deir Siriane in southern Lebanon, according to a security analyst. The strikes are in response to a Hezbollah explosive drone launched toward Israeli forces operating in the ridge area the previous night. Heavy machine-gun fire and flares were also reported over the targeted areas.
The IDF launched a wave of airstrikes and artillery fire overnight Saturday into Sunday, targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon and, for the first time in this campaign, the Shia villages of Roumaine and Deir Siriane, according to a security analyst's report. The strikes are in response to a Hezbollah explosive drone that was launched at Israeli forces operating in the ridge area the previous night. Flares were dropped and heavy machine-gun fire was reported over the targeted area.
The overnight operation expands a campaign on the ridge that has escalated over recent days. As The Zioneer reported on Mon Aug 10, Israeli forces initially used drone-dropped incendiary munitions to clear vegetation from the strategic height, followed by intermittent artillery. By Sat Aug 15, heavy Israeli airstrikes on the ridge had killed at least seven people, according to Lebanese sources and Israeli media. The current strikes mark the first time Roumaine and Deir Siriane have been targeted in this operation.
The Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic height overlooking Nabatieh, is known to house a Hezbollah underground facility. As The Zioneer has reported in recent months, the IDF has repeatedly struck the ridge to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure. The group's deep embedding within civilian areas in southern Lebanon has complicated military operations.
The IDF has not commented on the overnight activity. No casualty figures from the latest strikes are available, and the Hezbollah drone attack has not been formally confirmed by the group.
16 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake