drones<\/a>, which fly overhead, sometimes low among the residents.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/RSOOWUVY6JCEBLBMMGAMVGOCCM.JPG\")
A view of Ali al-Taher hills from Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, on Aug. 20, 2026. (Agnese Stracquadanio\/staff)<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they come very close,\u201d Ezzeddine said. That\u2019s why the Lebanese Armed Forces have asked, through a channel established with the ceasefire of November 2024 and comprising Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UNIFIL, that Israeli drones maintain a certain distance so as not to frighten people seeking to return to a semblance of normal life.<\/p>\n
From Zawtar Gharbieh, the strategic Ali al-Taher hills can be seen in the distance. The area is surrounded by Israeli forces and is believed to host a strategic Hezbollah command center.<\/p>\n
Rising approximately 600 meters (2,000 feet) above the surrounding terrain, the hills are subjected to almost daily Israeli shelling despite the ceasefire. The high ground is considered a strategic asset, not only because of its elevation and geographic location, but also because of claims that tunnels and Hezbollah fighters remain inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf reports of underground infrastructure in the area are accurate, the significance of Ali al-Taher extends beyond the surface of the hill itself,\u201d said Mounir Shehadeh, a former brigadier general in Lebanon\u2019s armed forces and former Lebanese government coordinator to UNIFIL. However, such details are difficult to verify independently.<\/p>\n
The Ali al-Taher ridge overlooks Nabatieh, one of southern Lebanon\u2019s largest cities, and forms part of the high ground surrounding the city. The area, located approximately 12 kilometers, or 7 miles, from the border and north of the Litani River, has become a focus of Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Israeli attacks have intensified in recent days, with UNIFIL reporting an increase in Israeli military activity and an average of 137 projectiles fired per day between Aug. 5 and Aug. 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe existence of underground military infrastructure is plausible and there are indications supporting it. However, claims concerning its size, the number of people inside it and the use of gas remain unverified\u201d, Shehadeh added, referring to reports circulating about the use of gas by Israeli forces in the Ali al-Taher hills.<\/p>\n
According to Shehadeh, these accounts may serve a purpose in psychological and media warfare: \u201cPortraying the area as a massive military hub, with trapped fighters, tunnels and hazardous materials, could help justify the continuation of Israeli operations and prepare public opinion for a longer incursion or occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UJF72MQEUNHSPPFC3PTXTYBFKU.JPG\")
A view of Beaufort Castle from Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, on Aug. 20, 2026. (Agnese Stracquadanio\/staff)<\/p>\n
The mayor of Nabatieh, Abbas Fakhreddine, shares this view, arguing that the strategic importance of the heights may have been exaggerated through a media campaign to lay the groundwork for a military operation that could serve Israel\u2019s interests ahead of upcoming elections.<\/p>\n
The Ali al-Taher hills overlook Nabatieh, as well as the Iqlim al-Tuffah and Jabal al-Rayhan areas and the surrounding Litani Valley. They are also geographically connected to the chain of high ground that includes Beaufort Castle, the Crusader-era fortification previously occupied by Israel and still under Israeli control.<\/p>\n
From a military perspective, Shehadeh said, controlling the high ground means possessing an observation point and the ability to exercise fire control over a wide area. However, in modern warfare controlling a hill does not necessarily mean controlling the entire surrounding area, but it provides an advantage in surveillance, tracking troops movements, directing fire and protecting the routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever controls Ali al-Taher is able to place Nabatieh and its surroundings under more direct surveillance and fire pressure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
These heights represent a forward defensive line and have also acquired a symbolic and psychological dimension, given that \u201cthe Israeli army has failed six times to capture this hill,\u201d Shehadeh said.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese Armed Forces are under pressure from Israeli forces to take control of the area. But, understaffed and under-equipped, they cannot enter into an open confrontation Hezbollah or stand up to Israel\u2019s military.<\/p>\n
Still, Shehadeh argued, the LAF should seek to prevent a lasting Israeli presence in Lebanon from becoming a foregone conclusion by documenting changes on the ground, coordinating with international actors and supporting Lebanon\u2019s negotiating position.<\/p>\n
For Hezbollah losing the hilly land here would represent more than the loss of a geographical position. \u201cIt would send the message that Israel is capable of retaining strategic high ground inside Lebanese territory even after agreements and ceasefires,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The former LAF brigadier general identifies three potential objectives behind the Israeli attempt to take control of Ali al-Taher. The military objective, he said, is to remove Hezbollah from high ground that allows it to observe Israeli routes and forces and monitor the surrounding area. The geographical objective is to establish a chain of elevated positions inside Lebanon.<\/p>\n
The third, and \u201cmost concerning,\u201d according to Shehadeh, is the political objective: \u201cIsrael may not need to formally declare a permanent occupation in order to establish a reality resembling one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Developments on the ground reinforce that dynamic, as Israeli forces have not limited themselves to defending the positions held inside Lebanese territory, but continue conducting daily operations following ceasefire arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, Lebanese concerns that Israel may seek to consolidate a long-term presence on certain strategic heights are entirely reasonable\u201d, Shehadeh said. \u201cThis is what makes the battle for Ali al-Taher directly connected to the future of the Lebanese border, and not merely to the future of Hezbollah,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Agnese Stracquadanio is a Middle East correspondent for Defense News. She has a background in writing and photojournalism, holds a master’s degree in international relations, and previously worked for Reuters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NABATIEH DISTRICT, Lebanon \u2014 At the entrance to Zawtar Gharbieh in southern Lebanon, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) troops…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":268059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[1530,7078,2930,100,37,20573,15037,1493,93,973,2926],"class_list":["post-268058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lebanon","tag-circulated-defense-news","tag-defense-news","tag-dn-dnr","tag-hezbollah","tag-israel","tag-laf","tag-lebabon","tag-lebanese-armed-forces","tag-lebanon","tag-southern-lebanon","tag-unmanned"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117173174262495101","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n