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Israel's Seizure of Hizbullah's Ali al-Taher Fortress
(This Is Beirut-Lebanon) Amal Chmouny - In the hills outside Nabatieh, the Ali al-Taher ridge was hollowed out by Hizbullah into a vast network of tunnels and underground complexes - command centers, weapons depots, and missile facilities - allowing Hizbullah to operate UAVs and missiles while sheltering fighters from aerial attacks. Rising 600 meters above sea level north of the Litani River, Ali al-Taher commands strategic views across southeastern Lebanon. The Ali al-Taher compound was, in effect, an Iranian fortress. Iran's Revolutionary Guards spent years investing money and expertise in the complex. "The fall of Ali al-Taher marked the collapse of the final defensive line protecting Hizbullah's last major stronghold in Iqlim al-Tuffah. It also meant the loss of the shield for Jabal al-Rihane, exposing Hizbullah's rear area," said retired Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Gen. Fadi Daoud. The Israeli campaign to capture Ali al-Taher was a methodical operation designed to suffocate Hizbullah's stronghold over time. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) systematically targeted Hizbullah supply routes to the underground complex with precision airstrikes and artillery. By choking off reinforcements and supplies, Israel forced the defenders to ration resources and limited their ability to rotate personnel. Israeli small-unit raids and probing attacks then tested Hizbullah's perimeter, drawing fire and revealing defensive patterns. The IDF mapped tunnel entrances, weapons caches, and defensive emplacements. Israeli special operations units, supported by intelligence and electronic warfare, targeted communication nodes to disrupt Hizbullah's command and control.