Israel’s military has cleared Hezbollah fighters holed up in tunnels under the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday (September 4, 2026), though the Iran-backed group did not immediately comment.
Israel had said Hezbollah fighters were embedded in tunnels under the ridge, which overlooks a wide area and had become one of the most hotly contested areas in the Israel-Hezbollah war, despite a ceasefire announced in June.
“The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists,” Mr. The military said some Hezbollah fighters had been “eliminated”, while others had fled. The Shi’ite Muslim group is believed to have built an underground command centre and weapons stores within the ridge and had said it would resist any Israeli assault. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that those freed this week were among a “first batch”, suggesting more could be coming. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon would also transfer the remains of Jewish figures killed in Lebanon in the 1980s to Israel, although there were no details of names or any timeframe.
Katz said on social media, after a statement by the military late on Thursday saying it had operational control of the ridge. Israel said on Thursday that none of the five had been found to have ties to militant groups.
