Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah base in Lebanon’s Ali al-Taher ridge

Israeli attacks come a week after it said to have established operational control over the strategic ridge.

Smoke rises following strikes on Ali al-Taher ridge in Nabatieh, Lebanon, August 22, 2026 [Social Media/via Reuters]

The Israeli military says it has destroyed Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure at a key site in southern Lebanon, with Israeli government officials adding that the operation consolidated its so-called security zone in the area.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in the area to prevent the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militant group from re-establishing its presence and rebuilding its capabilities.

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The Ali al-Taher ridge, about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli border, has become one of the most contested areas of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Katz claimed last Friday that Israeli forces had driven Hezbollah fighters out of what he said was a network of tunnels ⁠⁠under the disputed highland.

Reuters reported that Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command centre and weapons stores there in July, quoting unnamed Lebanese security sources.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said that the Israeli military carried out a powerful blast at the ridge, with tremors and the sound of the explosion felt across Nabatieh and surrounding areas in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has yet to respond to the recent Israeli attack.

The Israeli military said its forces had established “operational control” over the ridge, both above and below ground, before dismantling the infrastructure. The network extended for more than 2 km (just over 1 mile) and contained dozens of rockets, missiles and drones, as well as anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive devices, it said.

The military said a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah’s Badr unit was located within the underground infrastructure. The complex contained command centres, weapons storage rooms and living quarters that allowed fighters to remain underground for extended periods, it said.

Iran reportedly warned the United States last month that it would respond forcefully if Israeli attacks on the ridge continued.

Over the last weeks, Israeli strikes and ground operations around the Ali al-Taher ridge continued despite a ceasefire agreed in June, after Israel gained control of nearby Beaufort Castle and part of the higher ground overlooking much of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

A US-brokered framework agreed after a June ceasefire — between Lebanon and Israel, without negotiating with Hezbollah — called for Israeli forces to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon while Lebanese troops disarm Hezbollah.

The process has stalled, however, with Hezbollah refusing to give up its weapons and Israel saying it will not withdraw until the group disarms.

Since 2023, Israel has pushed into southern Lebanon and seized several strategic positions, occupying swathes of land, which it now increasingly says it needs to maintain a so-called buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

以色列发动袭击的前一周，以色列声称已对该战略山脊建立了作战控制权。

2026年8月22日，黎巴嫩纳巴泰耶阿里·塔赫尔山脊遭到空袭后，浓烟升起。[社交媒体/路透社]

以色列军方称，已摧毁黎巴嫩南部一处重要地点的真主党地下基础设施，以色列政府官员补充说，此次行动巩固了其在该地区所谓的安全区。

以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡和国防部长以色列·卡茨周四发表联合声明称，以色列军队将继续留在该地区，以防止与伊朗结盟的真主党武装组织重新建立据点并重建其能力。

以色列在西岸设立的四个检查站中，第一个正在扼杀巴勒斯坦经济。

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以色列一周内逮捕100名巴勒斯坦人，西岸地区持续发生针对巴勒斯坦人的种族清洗事件（共4条记录，此为第4条）。

距离以色列边境约15公里（10英里）的阿里·塔赫尔山脊已成为以色列和真主党战争中最具争议的地区之一。卡茨上周五声称，以色列军队已将真主党武装分子从他所说的位于争议高地下方的隧道网络中驱逐出去。

路透社援引未具名的黎巴嫩安全消息人士的话报道称，真主党据信在7月份在那里建造了一个地下指挥中心和武器库。

黎巴嫩国家通讯社报道称，以色列军方在山脊上进行了一次威力巨大的爆炸，黎巴嫩南部纳巴蒂耶及其周边地区都感受到了震动和爆炸声。

真主党尚未对以色列最近的袭击事件作出回应。

以色列军方表示，其部队在拆除基础设施之前，已对该山脊的地上和地下区域建立了“作战控制权”。军方称，该基础设施网络绵延超过2公里（略超过1英里），包含数十枚火箭弹、导弹和无人机，以及反坦克导弹、地雷和爆炸装置。

军方称，真主党巴德尔旅的一个中央指挥中心位于地下设施内。该指挥中心包含指挥部、武器库和生活区，使武装人员能够长期驻守地下。

据报道，伊朗上个月警告美国，如果以色列继续袭击山脊，伊朗将予以强力回应。

过去几周，尽管以色列在6月份达成了停火协议，但在以色列控制了附近的博福特城堡和俯瞰黎巴嫩南部和以色列北部大部分地区的高地后，以色列在阿里·塔赫尔山脊周围的空袭和地面行动仍在继续。

在美国斡旋下，黎巴嫩和以色列在6月停火后达成了一项框架协议（没有与真主党进行谈判），该框架协议要求以色列军队逐步从黎巴嫩南部撤出，同时黎巴嫩军队解除真主党的武装。

然而，由于真主党拒绝放弃武器，而以色列表示在真主党解除武装之前不会撤军，这一进程陷入了停滞。

自 2023 年以来，以色列已推进至黎巴嫩南部，并占领了几个战略要地，占据了大片土地。以色列现在越来越声称，它需要这些土地来维持以色列和黎巴嫩真主党阵地之间的所谓缓冲区。