A major Israel-Hezbollah showdown is unfolding over the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces have completed the phase of securing control over the ridge and vowed that troops would remain in the security zone. Israel says its forces cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnel positions beneath the strategic high ground. But Hezbollah has strongly rejected Israel’s claim, saying the ridge has no Israeli military presence and that its fighters remain deployed in the area.
