The Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria reported Friday morning, citing a senior security official, that relevant authorities in Beirut had received messages indicating that Israel is preparing to launch an offensive to seize the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge. The report said Israel is ready for the operation and is awaiting a green light from the United States.
The security official said the U.S. side had informed Lebanese authorities that it could not completely prevent the Israeli operation, but had requested that it be a precise, surgical move with minimal civilian casualties and that it not harm the framework agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut.
IDF forces in southern Lebanon
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
“The Israelis need this achievement and will not back down from it,” the Lebanese security source said. According to him, attention is now focused on Hezbollah’s response and whether the group will enter the fighting.
“This battle has become a matter of time, and it is a race against the upcoming U.S.-Iranian agreement, which will undoubtedly affect the front in southern Lebanon,” the security official said.
Various Lebanese media outlets have published speculation in recent days attempting to predict Israel’s next move in southern Lebanon, with particular focus on the Ali al-Taher ridge. According to recent reports, Hezbollah terrorists are trapped in an underground facility there, while the IDF is tightening the siege and cutting off water supply lines to the infrastructure. Members of the Shiite group are reportedly trying to break the siege using drones to deliver equipment and supplies.
The reports come amid uncertainty over the future of the conflict or agreement between Iran and the United States, which is also expected to affect southern Lebanon, as well as amid ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. The talks are expected to resume in early September, but their fate remains unclear.
Informed sources told Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed channel Thursday that Beirut is toughening its demands regarding a cease-fire and the expansion of pilot areas before proceeding to another round of negotiations with Israel.
According to a Friday report by Al-Akhbar, a newspaper affiliated with Hezbollah, citing an informed source, U.S. military officials spoke with officials in Beirut about the difficulty of making significant progress in the negotiations. They reportedly said they do not believe Israel is expected to carry out a significant military withdrawal in the period before the elections.
According to the source, the U.S. side did not deny rumors that the IDF could carry out rapid military operations in southern Lebanon aimed at reaching “sensitive Hezbollah positions,” referring to the mountainous area of the Ali al-Taher hills.
A diplomatic source was also quoted Thursday night by Lebanon’s MTV channel as saying that Beirut’s official leadership had been informed that Israel’s political leadership had authorized the military to blow up Ali al-Taher.
A political source told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat Thursday that Israel is linking the cease-fire in Lebanon to Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the Ali al-Taher area and its handover to the Lebanese army. The source said evacuating the area is a “mandatory step toward completing implementation of the framework agreement.”
It should be noted that Lebanese reports in recent days have said the IDF continues to operate in various villages in southern Lebanon, alleging the destruction of villages, controlled explosions and intermittent airstrikes, alongside artillery fire.