Israel said to be preparing for new campaign in southern Lebanon, with the goal of capturing Hezbollah stronghold in the Ali al-Taher ridge.By World Israel News StaffIsrael is preparing for a potentially significant military operation to take full control of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese media reports, as Washington works to prevent an intensifying battle with Hezbollah from unraveling the fragile US-backed agreement between Israel and Beirut.Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed cited a source familiar with the situation Monday as saying that “all indications point to Israeli preparations to take full control” of Ali al-Taher, a strategically important area overlooking the Nabatieh region where Israel says Hezbollah maintains extensive underground military infrastructure.The source said the recent increase in Israeli airstrikes, artillery fire and drone-dropped explosives around the ridge reflected preparations for the operation, but indicated that its timing remains dependent on Washington.The report follows several days of sharply intensified fighting around Ali al-Taher and comes after Israeli television reported Sunday that the IDF was preparing for the possibility of several days of renewed combat in Lebanon.Channel 12 said the military wants to finish destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in the area but that some proposed operations have not been approved by Israel’s political leadership because of concerns they could derail US-mediated negotiations with Lebanon.Lebanon’s Al Joumhouria newspaper reported Friday, citing a senior security official, that the IDF was at a high level of readiness for an operation and was awaiting a decision involving the United States.The source said Washington had told Lebanese officials it might not be able to prevent Israeli action but wanted any operation to remain limited, precise and designed to minimize civilian casualties.The immediate military focus appears to be Ali al-Taher rather than a broader invasion of Lebanon.The ridge is strategically important because of its position overlooking the Nabatieh region and because Israel says Hezbollah built a substantial underground command-and-control network beneath the area.Lebanese reporting has described tunnels, command rooms and other facilities under the ridge, with dozens of Hezbollah operatives believed to have remained inside.Asharq Al-Awsat reported Monday that Israeli assessments initially put the number of senior Hezbollah members trapped inside the underground network at more than 40, but now estimate that roughly 15 remain.Israel also believes some of those inside may be Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers or trainers, according to the report.The newspaper said Israel has so far concentrated on sealing or controlling the complex’s entrances, preventing reinforcements and supplies from reaching those inside and cutting water and electricity rather than launching an immediate full-scale assault underground.The IDF has separately documented extensive Hezbollah fortifications in the nearby Beaufort ridge area, where troops uncovered tunnels equipped with living quarters, communications systems, water and electricity, weapons and an underground medical facility.The military says the wider system around Beaufort, Ali al-Taher and Nabatieh was constructed over years with substantial Iranian assistance.Tensions around Ali al-Taher have risen rapidly following a series of attacks on Israeli troops.Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon this month, while three others were seriously wounded Saturday when an explosive drone struck forces operating around Ali al-Taher, according to Israeli officials.Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and artillery fire against Hezbollah positions and alleged command facilities.Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people in Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, including three children.The IDF said one of those killed was Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, whom it identified as a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force. Israel said members of Hassan’s family were also killed but were not deliberately targeted.Hezbollah accused Lebanon’s government of granting Israel concessions through direct negotiations and called for stronger measures to stop Israeli military action. The group has continued to reject demands that it disarm while Israeli troops remain in Lebanese territory.Political sources in Israel said the Trump administration understands Israel’s decision to respond militarily to Hezbollah attacks but does not want the confrontation to restart the broader war.Maariv described Washington’s position as effectively giving Israel a “green light,” while other Israeli reporting characterized the US position more cautiously as accepting Israel’s need to respond while urging restraint.A source cited by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said Israel could ultimately take control of Ali al-Taher and widen its operations if Hezbollah continued attacking Israeli forces.Washington has not publicly authorized an offensive and continues to back implementation of the June 26 framework between Israel and Lebanon.Under the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces are supposed to progressively establish sole military control over the country and disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups.Hezbollah was not a party to the deal and has rejected disarmament while Israeli troops remain in Lebanon. Israel, meanwhile, has said it will not complete its withdrawal unless Hezbollah’s military capabilities are eliminated.Defense Minister Israel Katz sharpened that position last week, declaring “we are not withdrawing from this security zone” and ordering the IDF to prepare for an “extended presence” until Hezbollah is disarmed and the threat to northern Israel is removed.The remarks prompted a response from Washington, with a State Department official saying a permanent Israeli presence would conflict with the commitments Israel made under the framework.Lebanese officials are meanwhile trying to contain the latest escalation.Nidaa al-Watan reported Monday that high-level contacts between Washington and Beirut produced an understanding under which Israel would limit its response to strikes already conducted while Hezbollah would refrain from retaliating for the killing of two of its commanders.The post IDF preparing to seize Hezbollah stronghold – report appeared first on World Israel News.