Nadene Goldfoot
2 days ago — Located about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli
border, the Ali al-Taher ridge has a commanding view of a
broad sweep of southeastern Lebanon, and.....
The IDF announced that it has completed clearing and
destroying the massive Hezbollah underground terror command
and control complex on Lebanon’s Ali Taher ridge. The terrorists
were trapped as IDF cleared this southern Lebanon ridge.
The IDF also had located an underground terror tunnel containing hundreds of weapons and four launch shafts aimed at Israel - under the village of Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. This method of operation is not new and is characteristic of Hezbollah, which has consistently been exposed for embedding its terrorist infrastructure in the heart of civilian communities. The village had been fortified and filled with terrorist infrastructure, including a significant underground terror tunnel.
An Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah operative as he emerged from a tunnel in the Ali al-Taher Hills, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have laid siege to dozens of Hezbollah operatives inside another massive subterranean complex.
Israel has refused to withdraw from the complex, believed to be the largest in southern Lebanon, even as it scales back military operations elsewhere following the June 20 truce. "This is an underground military fortress that Hezbollah spent twenty years constructing," IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on June 21.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Hezbollah had spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" constructing its underground network. The figure highlights the immense financial resources Hezbollah devoted to military infrastructure in a country grappling with one of the worst economic crises in modern history.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Today we can already say it: We eliminated a great many terrorists there.” The operation took several weeks, and many terrorists fled or were killed.
The complex contained underground command centers, weapons storage rooms, generator rooms, living quarters, showers and a kitchen, which enabled the terrorists to manage the fighting and remain there for extended periods.
The IDF said, “This is strategic infrastructure that was built over two decades, over time of 2000 to now, and funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”
The Underground Doctrine
Hezbollah's reliance on underground military infrastructure reflects the broader military doctrine of the Iran-led “Resistance Axis.” “Tunneling is part of what the Axis does,” retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) brigadier general Assaf Orion told This is Beirut.
The use of tunnels by the "Resistance Axis" dates back decades to when the Assad regime in Syria incorporated them into its ballistic missile program. The strategy was possibly inspired by North Korea, Orion said. “Iran then adopted it with missile cities and in its nuclear sites, including Fordow and Pickaxe Mountain,” he added.
Iran Warning
Earlier Thursday, Iran warned the United States that it would “respond forcefully” to an Israeli attack on the Ali Taher ridge, where, according to the Iranian claim, Iranian military personnel were trapped alongside Hezbollah terrorists.
Judea-Samaria
Qabatiya is a Palestinian city situated in the Jenin Governorate of the northern West Bank. Jenin is located in Samaria, situated in the northern sector of the territory designated as the Judea and Samaria Area and commonly referred to internationally as the West Bank. “Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern region of the West Bank, approximately 60 kilometers north of Jerusalem.” -- [An-Najah National University]. Valley Setting: The city sits in a mountain valley nestled between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.
Ariel: The largest and primary official Israeli city
is located deep within central Samaria. (Note: Modi'in Illit, another major Israeli city, sits further south in the Binyamin region along the seam line, which is occasionally grouped into broader descriptions of southern Samaria).
It sits approximately 6 kilometers south of Jenin City, which places it in the northern region of the Palestinian territories under Israeli military occupation, roughly 45 to 50 kilometers (or about 28 miles) south of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Now we're talking about the closeness to where action is near the Lebanese border with Israel.
Earlier today, IDF soldiers completed a special counterterrorism
operation in the Qabatiya area, during which they apprehended a
terrorist cell consisting of five terrorists who were planning to carry
out a terrorist attack against Israeli civilians and security forces.
IDF soldiers completed a 48-hour counterterrorism operation in the area of Shechem (Nablus) and the surrounding areas.As part of the operation, the soldiers dismantled more than 30 weapon production machines used for the production of weapons and confiscated concealed weapons, including firearms, handguns, and ammunition.
In addition, the soldiers searched hundreds of sites, questioned dozens of suspects, and apprehended more than 10 wanted individuals.
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon is set to withdraw in 2027 and transfer responsibility for security there to the Lebanese government and army. Originally, UNIFIL was created by the Security Council in March 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese Government in restoring its effective authority in the area. The mandate had to be adjusted twice, due to the developments in 1982 and 2000.
Their mission now is: Monitoring violations of resolution 1701, supporting the restoration of state authority, and helping ensure humanitarian access.
But France has now backed Lebanon's request to revisit that decision, arguing that the deteriorating security situation and ongoing contacts with Israel justify keeping the force in place longer.
The United States strongly rejected the idea. US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said Washington did not want to extend the mandate of a force it believes has failed in its mission, saying the United States would not repeat “the mistakes of the past.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said, “UNIFIL failed for years in the mission assigned to it and did not prevent Hezbollah’s military buildup in southern Lebanon. The decision to end its mandate has already been made, and there is no reason to go backward.
In the months remaining until the end of its activity, the force must focus on enforcing Resolution 1701 and disarming Hezbollah.
Responsibility afterward will rest with the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army.”
Israel released 5 Lebanese prisoners and returned them to Lebanon yesterday, as a goodwill gesture to the Lebanese government amid ongoing negotiations between the 2 countries.
Five days after the violence in the Palestinian village of Qusra, police on Thursday arrested the first suspect in the attack, a 19 year old Israeli settler, after he allegedly fled and hid at a construction site in the settlement of Eli. Settler Arrests: On September 3, 2026, the Israel Police and Shin Bet arrested a 19-year-old Israeli settler on suspicion of spearheading the violent weekend assault. Investigators are continuing to collect evidence and testimony in an effort to identify and arrest others suspected of taking part in the attack.
- IDF Conscript Arrested: Three additional suspects, including an IDF conscript, were subsequently arrested for their alleged involvement in settler-led violence.
- Commander Ousted: Separately, an IDF reservist commander was dismissed after video footage emerged showing soldiers praying and sharing food with settlers blockading Palestinian homes.
Israel, with an extremely tiny population, has been faced with many newly created ways of attack on their survival, from fire in flying kites to their fields to the tunnel attacks that seem to be endless in length. They in turn are held in check by their own morality laws as well as screams from the world of killing too many of the endless terrorists. Their youths have also been born under war-attacks. And that's the way it is. One against the many. UNIFIL didn't need a lot of time to decide what the odds were for them in trying a normal army attack on an enemy. "Their cry must have been, Let Israel do it!"
Resource:
Israel AM
