Lebanon13 September, 20263 min read
Yisrael Katz Says Israel Will Remain on Ali Al-Taher Heights Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
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Israel will not withdraw from the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed across Lebanon. Ali al-Tahta heights are part of the Yellow Line and will remain under Israeli control.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Hezbollah Announces Up To $14,000 Housing Allowances For Displaced People In Lebanon →
Ali al-Taher Heights
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said Israel will remain on the Ali al-Taher heights south of Lebanon until Hezbollah is fully disarmed, warning that anyone approaching the area will be eliminated. Katz tied the move to Israel’s “security belt” and “yellow line,” saying the belt covers an area of 700 square kilometers extending from the coast to the west, passing by the Shaqif Castle, and reaching the Mount Hermon area to the east.
The announcement came as the Israeli-Lebanese negotiations round scheduled for this week in Rome was postponed, with a bilateral meeting in Washington instead between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to discuss continuing the implementation of the framework agreement. Al-Nahar’s briefing also described a tense night for residents of Horaeriq in southern Beirut after a suspicious call claimed to be from the Israeli army demanded evacuation of one of the areas immediately.
Threats and Redeployment
Katz said on Telegram that “After eliminating the militants and destroying Hezbollah’s tunnels in the Al-Taher Heights, the Israeli army is operationally preparing to take control of the heights,” and he reiterated that the Israeli army “will not withdraw or redeploy” before Hezbollah is disarmed throughout Lebanon. Sky News Arabia reported Katz’s warning that “Anyone who approaches the Al-Taher Heights will be eliminated,” and it described the heights as part of the ‘yellow line’ and the security zone controlled by Israel inside Lebanon spanning about 700 square kilometers.
Naharnet reported that Israel’s Channel 12 said Israel was “considering the possibility of deploying the Lebanese Army to the Ali al-Taher area and its surroundings,” while also noting that the Israeli army has already carried out a limited withdrawal from the Ali al-Taher heights to the Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif). Al Jazeera’s framing was not present in the provided sources, but the reporting in the provided articles emphasized that Israel is monitoring the Lebanon front while also watching the Houthis in Bab el-Mandeb.
Diplomacy, Alerts, and Risk
Al-Nahar said the preparatory meeting for the international conference to support the Lebanese army would be held in Paris next Thursday, September 17, and it also said the second station was a meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States at the U.S. State Department in Washington.
Monte Carlo International reported that Israel raised its state of alert on the Lebanon front and monitored the movements of the Houthis in Bab el-Mandab Strait, fearing a possible response from Hezbollah to the destruction of the strategic tunnels in the Ali al-Tahir heights.
The same Monte Carlo International account said the alert level was raised also due to Jewish holidays in the West Bank, while Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continued, and it described concerns that Iran could re-enter the conflict by arming the Houthis to target Israel with ballistic missiles and drones.
Al-Nahar also linked the coming week to postponing the eighth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations planned in Rome this month to October, and it warned that nothing guarantees the next round would represent a practical positive development given that its results are linked to Israeli elections.