Iran has warned the United States that it will respond with overwhelming force if Israel launches an offensive to seize the strategic Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, a pivotal friction point in the war against the terror group Hezbollah. Reuters reported Thursday, citing three officials briefed on the Iranian diplomatic backchannel communication, that Tehran explicitly threatened that a full-scale Israeli ground maneuver to establish control over the ridge would trigger a “broad, large-scale Iranian attack.”
1+The Ali Taher ridge dominates vast swaths of southeastern Lebanon. According to Lebanese security sources cited by Reuters, the terror group Hezbollah engineered an extensive subterranean command bunker complex and strategic weapons depots within the ridge. The terror organization has publicly declared full control over the high ground, vowing to confront any Israeli ground advance. At the same time, the IDF has designated the sector as one of its primary operational focal points.
Two sources stated that the Iranian warning was relayed to Washington via Oman, which continues to facilitate backchannel diplomacy between the parties. According to these officials, over a dozen operatives from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including at least two senior officers, are stationed inside the ridge alongside Hezbollah terrorists. If confirmed, the presence of Iranian personnel adds significant gravity to Tehran’s ultimatum, as an Israeli assault could directly eliminate high-ranking Iranian military figures. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the claims of IRGC presence on the ridge.
1+A third source, described as a foreign official with direct knowledge of the transmission, stated that the message was delivered around mid-August. The official claimed that the U.S. subsequently pressured Israel, prompting Jerusalem to postpone a planned assault on Ali Taher. The White House firmly dismissed the assertion, with a U.S. official characterizing claims of Iranian ultimatums and American pressure on Israel as “inaccurate.” The IDF declined to comment.
The terror group Hezbollah neither confirmed nor denied delivering the warning. The terror organization’s media bureau told Reuters it was a “natural conclusion” that such a warning would be issued regarding the ridge. The terror group Hezbollah further asserted that Tehran views any Israeli territorial expansion or ground advance in southern Lebanon as a severe breach of understandings reached under the June framework between Washington and Tehran.
Inside Israel’s defense establishment, assessments regarding Iranian personnel on the ridge differ markedly. Reuters cited a report from Maariv quoting an Israeli military source who indicated the IDF assesses there are no IRGC personnel currently at Ali Taher. The report further noted that several Hezbollah terrorists trapped in the subterranean network died after being cut off from food and water. As early as June, an Israeli military official told Reuters that Hezbollah terrorists were stranded underground without sustainable logistics.
According to one source, Israel has recently opted to squeeze the trapped terrorists rather than mount a direct frontal assault on the reinforced subterranean complex. Forces are enforcing a tactical siege on Hezbollah and IRGC holdouts while intercepting drone-delivered supply runs attempting to drop water and food. The terror group Hezbollah claimed in response that its fighters can still reach positions via the ridge’s northern face.
Tensions around Ali Taher persist despite the ceasefire framework announced in June. According to the IDF, the terror group Hezbollah has continuously operated in the immediate vicinity of the ridge, launching explosive suicide drones twice over the past week targeting Israeli forces in the sector. In July, the military announced an airstrike that eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist operating adjacent to an access shaft leading into the underground complex, reiterating that the IDF will not permit the terror group to operate in the area or threaten troops.
Despite Tehran’s bluster and rumors of American pressure, an Israeli operation to neutralize the redoubt remains firmly on the table. A Lebanese source familiar with Hezbollah’s operational posture and a senior Lebanese security official told Reuters that an Israeli mission to secure Ali Taher could unfold in the coming weeks. The terror group Hezbollah warned that a full-scale assault on the ridge would be treated as an immediate return to all-out war, in which rocket barrages could be directed deep into northern Israeli communities.