Key facts
- Israel conducted airstrikes in Mifdoun and the Beqaa Valley.
- A Hezbollah drone attack killed two people.
- Israel announced it had taken operational control of Ali Taher hill and associated tunnels.
- Hezbollah has refused to hand over Ali Taher hill to the Lebanese army.
- The hill is strategically important for controlling southern Lebanon and Hezbollah's supply lines.
Israel has conducted airstrikes in Mifdoun and the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon following a drone attack that killed two people. The conflict has intensified around Ali Taher hill, a strategic location overlooking southern Lebanon, which Israel announced it had taken under "operational control" along with tunnels used by Hezbollah. Hezbollah has rejected a proposal to hand the hill over to the Lebanese army, fearing Israeli seizure.
The hill, previously occupied by Israel for 18 years before its 2000 withdrawal, is crucial for controlling main roads and disrupting Hezbollah's presence and supply lines. Israel stated the tunnels beneath the hill house command centers and weapons storage. Hezbollah legislator Ihab Hamadeh questioned the ongoing Israeli strikes if control had been established, while an AP photographer observed no Israeli military presence on the hill.
Fighting around Ali Taher has escalated since July, with Hezbollah officials downplaying the site's strategic importance if lost. In mid-August, Israeli airstrikes, which killed 11 people, were described as retaliation for a Hezbollah drone attack that wounded three soldiers. Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri accused Israel of obstructing the Lebanese army's readiness to take control of the hill due to political considerations ahead of Israeli elections.