Why Hezbollah trusts in a 'Maginot Line' defense at Ali al-Taher ridge - analysis

Hezbollah’s heavily fortified position at Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon has fallen, after the Israel Defense Forces said it cleared the site’s underground routes and took control of the area above and below ground.

The IDF said the 36th Division had operated for weeks to clear and neutralize two underground routes in the Security Zone. Some fighters were killed, according to the military, while others fled. The operation remained ongoing, with the IDF saying it would adjust its defensive posture after completing the mission.

The military described a large underground complex containing command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. The network, it said, had been built and funded over more than two decades with Iranian support, allowing fighters to remain underground and manage combat operations for extended periods.

The ridge has drawn international attention because of its location and what Hezbollah is believed to have built beneath it. France24 reported Israel’s claim that it had seized the strategically placed highland, while Hezbollah had not confirmed its loss. Reuters described the ridge, around 10 kilometers from the Israeli border, as one of the most contested areas in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The article frames the position as a kind of Hezbollah Maginot Line on Israel’s border: a sophisticated, static defense that ultimately proved vulnerable to being breached. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists."

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The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists.