Israel says it cleared Hezbollah tunnels on Ali Taher ridge

Israel's military said on Thursday that it had finished clearing two Hezbollah underground complexes on the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon.

Forces from the IDF's 36th Division said they now hold operational control of the ridge above and below ground. Some Hezbollah fighters were killed, the military said, and others fled. Troops found command rooms, weapons stores, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen that could keep fighters underground for long stretches.

The IDF said the tunnels were built over about two decades and planned and funded by Iran. Neutralising the sites is still underway. Once that is done, the army said it would shift back to a defensive posture. It also said it remains committed to the Lebanon ceasefire while continuing operations in the south.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran warned the United States that it would respond hard if Israel launched a full capture of the ridge, where Iranian personnel were said to be with Hezbollah. Israeli assessments disputed that Iranian forces were present.

Ali al-Taher, with Beaufort Castle at its peak, has been one of the most contested pieces of ground since the wider Israel-Hezbollah fighting. A months-long fight to map and cut supply lines from Beirut is now being framed by Israel as a completed clearance.

The Iranian warning, even if contested on the ground facts, keeps the ridge tied to a wider US-Iran-Israel escalation that already moves oil markets and regional risk.

Watch whether Israel finishes demolition of the tunnels without a larger ground push, and whether Iran's warning stays rhetorical. Any fresh strike cycle around the ridge would test how much of the June ceasefire still holds.