Israeli forces struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed armed group launched two explosive drones at troops near Ali al-Taher Ridge, an elevated area that has become a central military objective in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
The Israel Defense Forces said the drones were launched overnight toward soldiers operating near the ridge and did not cause casualties. It said it responded with strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the area. Lebanese state media reported that one person was killed and another wounded in an Israeli strike near Nabatieh.
The incident came as fighting remains focused on Ali al-Taher, a cluster of hills about 15 kilometers from the Israeli border. Rising roughly 600 meters above sea level, the ridge overlooks routes connecting southeastern Lebanon with the Iqlim al-Tuffah area, long associated with Hezbollah’s logistical network.
Israeli forces seized nearby high ground after the current war began on March 2 and have repeatedly struck the ridge from the air. Lebanese security sources previously told Reuters that Hezbollah had built underground command facilities and weapons stores beneath the area. Israel has said the ridge is a major operational focus and has included it within an expanded buffer zone under Israeli military control.
Hezbollah has said its fighters retain control of the area and are prepared to confront further Israeli advances. Israel maintains that the group’s weapons and underground positions pose a continuing threat to its forces and northern communities.
The ridge also sits near Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, an area from which Israeli forces withdrew in July under a US-brokered framework intended to link a gradual Israeli pullback with Lebanese army efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
That arrangement has stalled. Israel says it will not complete a withdrawal while Hezbollah remains armed, while Hezbollah has rejected disarmament. The impasse has left the ridge as both a tactical objective and a test of whether the wider plan for southern Lebanon can be revived.
With Israeli elections scheduled for October, the government faces pressure to show progress against Hezbollah while limiting casualties in difficult terrain. The latest drone attack and Israeli response suggest that the area is likely to remain a focus of fighting.