The battle around the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon is now focused on a vast underground network belonging to Hezbollah. Several dozen fighters from the Shiite organization are believed to still be holed up there, alongside members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Among them are reportedly high-ranking Iranian officers. The Israeli army controls access to this strategic area near Nabatieh and is maintaining pressure around the tunnels. The men inside are thus finding themselves in an increasingly precarious situation, with no surrender yet announced.
Members of the Revolutionary Guards in the underground
The Iranian presence is one of the most sensitive elements of this confrontation. Personnel linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Quds Force are believed to be present in the compound alongside Hezbollah. Their exact number and identities have not been publicly disclosed. However, several recent reports indicate that high-ranking Iranian officers are still holed up under Ali al-Taher. Their potential capture by Israel would represent a particularly sensitive development for Tehran. The presence of Iranian personnel in Lebanon is not new. Since the beginning of the conflict, several instances have confirmed the involvement of IRGC members fighting alongside Hezbollah. Iranian officers were notably killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in March.
Dozens of men trapped
The exact number of fighters underground remains uncertain. Estimates circulating in recent weeks generally suggest between 30 and 40 Hezbollah fighters in the tunnels. The presence of Iranian personnel adds to this figure, though a precise count cannot be established. The Israeli army has chosen to isolate the network rather than immediately commit its soldiers to the particularly dangerous underground combat. Exits are monitored, and movement around the ridge is severely restricted. Robots and remotely operated vehicles have also been used around the complex to survey access points and reduce the direct exposure of Israeli soldiers.
A huge military complex under Ali al-Taher
The underground facilities of Ali al-Taher constitute one of the main military challenges in the Nabatieh region. The network is associated with Hezbollah's Badr Unit, which controls an area north of the Litani River. Israel claims that these facilities were built with Iranian assistance and served, among other things, as a command center, weapons storage facility, and support for Hezbollah's missile operations. The complex is buried deep underground. This configuration explains the difficulties encountered in neutralizing it from the air and the Israeli military's cautious approach before any potential operation inside.
A strategic ridge at an altitude of 600 meters
Ali al-Taher is located north of the Litani River, near Nabatieh. Rising to approximately 600 meters, the ridge overlooks much of the surrounding area and offers a particularly advantageous military position. Clashes around this height have been intense. Hezbollah, in particular, launched attacks against Israeli forces operating in the area in June. Several Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting around Ali al-Taher and Kfar Tebnit. Since then, Israel has progressively reinforced its defenses around the ridge and its underground infrastructure.
Israel maintains its grip on the tunnels
The Israeli strategy now consists of preventing the entrenched men from leaving the underground tunnels or easily receiving supplies. The available supplies inside are therefore a determining factor in the duration of the siege. Reports indicate shortages of food and equipment among the trapped men. There are also some claims of a water supply disruption, but not all operational details of the siege can be independently verified. Despite this pressure, there is currently no indication that the Hezbollah fighters and Iranian personnel still present are considering surrendering.
The fate of Iranian officers at the heart of tensions
The situation takes on a new dimension with the reported presence of Iranian officers within the complex. Their deaths, their escape from the tunnels, or, most importantly, their capture alive by the Israeli army could have consequences far exceeding the battle of Ali al-Taher. For Israel, complete control of the network would neutralize a significant Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. For Hezbollah and Iran, the priority now is to avoid losing their personnel and this strategic underground facility. At this stage, the Israeli army is maintaining its encirclement. Several dozen men remain entrenched beneath the ridge, and the fate of any Iranian personnel among them remains uncertain.
