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Ali-Taher Ridge Fight
Israeli airstrikes and bombardments intensified across southern Lebanon on Friday, with raids hitting areas in the south before extending into western Beqaa for the first time in three months, as warplanes carried out intensive low-altitude activity.
“Two young men were “targeted while riding a motorcycle” in Nabatieh”
An Israeli strike killed two people on Friday, September 4, in southern Lebanon near the Ali-Taher ridge, according to Lebanese National News Agency reporting cited by Le Monde.
Le Monde also reported that Israel said it had taken control of the Ali-Taher mountain ridge despite a truce with Hezbollah, and that two young men were “targeted while riding a motorcycle” in Nabatieh.
In the same reporting, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army would reinforce positions on the ridge to “prevent the enemy from regaining position in the area,” while Hezbollah minimized the loss of the position located about ten kilometers from the border with Israel.
Competing Toll and Claims
Annahar said the pace of Israeli raids and explosions accelerated after a warning was issued to residents of northern Israel about the possibility of Israeli army attacks inside Lebanese territory, accompanied by a loud blast.
Annahar’s initial toll from the latest wave of raids reported a Syrian worker injured in Ain Eltineh, western Beqaa, two people killed and a third injured in Nabatieh Al-Tahta, and it said the raid on al-Rimadiya in the Sidon district left more than six wounded with several injuries recorded in Mivdon.
In parallel, Le Monde reported that families returning to Nabatieh under the truce “are facing widespread destruction, a lack of basic services, and persistent insecurity,” citing UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza.
The Jerusalem Post framed the ridge fight as an IDF operation, quoting Israel Katz saying, “The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists,” after the military said it had operational control of the ridge.
What Comes Next
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel’s warning to Israeli citizens of upcoming IDF strikes on Lebanon was issued by the Upper Galilee Regional Council, telling citizens to expect explosions in the Western Galilee, the Hula Valley, the Ramim Ridge, and possibly in northern Golan Heights.
“widespread destruction, a lack of basic services, and persistent insecurity”
Le Monde tied the ridge control to the broader conflict, saying Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional war by launching since early March strikes on Israel in support of Tehran, provoking Israeli reprisals that have killed more than 4,300 people, according to Lebanese authorities.
In the same Le Monde account, UN humanitarian coordinator Imran Riza said families returning to Nabatieh under the truce faced “widespread destruction, a lack of basic services, and persistent insecurity,” after visiting the site.
Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post described how a Lebanese military officer said Israeli troops had seized the southern entrances to the complex and could monitor the northern entrances through surveillance drones, while it remained unclear how far troops had penetrated and whether any fighters were still there or might have booby-trapped parts of the complex.