Israel is placing the northern front under tight surveillance after the Israeli army announced the completion of its operation in the huge underground complex in Ali al-Tahir Heights, amid security estimates that the developments could move to a limited escalation or several days of fighting, at a time when the Israeli narrative speaks of Hezbollah requesting Iran to intervene to stop the operation, in conjunction with threats issued by Tehran to respond if Israel continues its movements in the region.
According to a report by journalist Nir Dvori on the Israeli “N12” website, the Israeli army announced yesterday, Thursday, that it had completed the operation to “cleanse” the huge underground complex belonging to Hezbollah in the Ali al-Taher Heights area, after an operation that remained subject to a publication ban with the aim of not exposing the soldiers to danger and preventing the party from knowing what is happening on the ground.
The report said that the operation ended without any gunmen remaining alive inside the site, while Israeli forces are currently preparing to destroy the complex underground network.
In the summary attached to the report, it was also stated that the Israeli army completed the “clearance” of a huge underground complex in the Beaufort area, while the details of the report focused on the operation in Ali Al-Tahir Heights.
According to Israeli security estimates, the operation worried Hezbollah, which asked Iran to provide assistance and intervene in an attempt to stop the Israeli move.
The Israeli security establishment believes that the party is at the same time trying to rebuild what Israel describes as the “Shiite axis,” after the damage it has suffered over the past two years.
In parallel, Tehran threatens to intervene if Israel continues its operations in the region, in light of the exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran and the great economic pressure imposed on the Iranian regime.
Israel is preparing for the possibility that developments may lead to escalation or confrontation that may remain limited on the northern front, and may extend to several days of fighting, but the Israeli security establishment describes the possibility of this scenario as not high.
At the same time, the Israeli army continues to maintain a high level of alert, in parallel with close contacts with the Americans.
After the destruction of the underground complex, the Israeli army intends to redeploy the defense system in the region, provided that the deployment of forces along the “yellow line” will be determined according to an assessment of the situation that will be conducted after the completion of the work.
The Israeli security establishment says that the forces are in a state of readiness, and that publishing the details of the operation represents a message to the other party about the situation on the ground, despite the possibility that Hezbollah will try to respond.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the operation, saying: “Now these heights, which Hezbollah has tried all along to use against us, we eliminated a very large number of militants there, and today we can say that the Ali al-Taher Heights no longer pose a threat to us.”
According to the Israeli army, soldiers found inside the underground infrastructure command rooms, weapons rooms, and electrical generator rooms, in addition to living quarters that included bathrooms and a kitchen.
The army said that the equipment and conditions found at the site allowed members of the “Badr” unit to remain inside these facilities and conduct operations from them for long periods.
The Israeli army statement said: “As a result of the activity within the routes during recent weeks, the ability to implement plans against the citizens of the State of Israel and the army forces from these routes has been neutralized.”
According to Israeli army data, the strategic infrastructure was built over two decades with joint financing and planning with the Iranian regime.
The army added that the two main structures were used by the unit’s elements to manage fire systems and carry out operations against Israelis and security forces over the past decades.
During the war, especially in the “Northern Arrows” and “Lion’s Roar” operations, party members continuously used these paths, according to the Israeli account.
According to the report, the Israeli army recently advanced to the Ali al-Taher Heights area after it was considered to have succeeded in weakening Hezbollah throughout the fighting.
Between the Israeli readiness for redeployment, the Iranian threats, and the party’s attempts to summon Tehran’s support, the Ali al-Taher Heights are turning into a new testing point for the parties’ ability to keep the confrontation under a limited ceiling and prevent its transition to a broader escalation on the northern front.
