Hezbollah said to rebuff Lebanese overtures to withdraw from strategic ridge in south

The Hezbollah terror group has so far rejected overtures by the Lebanese government to pull its forces out of the contested Ali Taher Ridge in south Lebanon, according to a Saturday report.

The Nidaa Al-Watan reported that President Joseph Aoun’s efforts, aided by Parliament speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, to persuade the terror group to withdraw and hand over the territory to the Lebanese army, had been refused.

Unnamed sources warned this intransigence could lead the Israeli military to escalate and widen its campaign against Hezbollah, adding that Israel appeared unwilling to make further concessions until Lebanon takes more concrete steps to disarm the terrorist organization.

The sources also said the confrontation has stalled efforts to schedule a new round of US-backed negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut in Rome, which has hosted multiple rounds of talks in recent months, with the report suggesting that international support for Lebanon’s army could be undermined if Hezbollah still holds the Ali Taher Ridge the next time negotiators convene.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East conflict in March by launching rockets at Israel in support of its sponsor Iran, which had come under attack by a US-Israeli air campaign. Israel responded to the Hezbollah attacks with a heavy air campaign and ground invasion.

Despite the ceasefire declared in Lebanon in April, fighting has persisted to a lesser extent. Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared “security zone,” which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border.

Israel has increased its attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in recent days — particularly in the Nabatieh area where the Ali Taher Ridge is located — while the terror group has targeted troops operating in the area. On Saturday, Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike in the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, which the Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on.

The Ali Taher Ridge, where Hezbollah has a major underground facility, has been the site of ongoing fighting and Israeli strikes. The IDF believes some Hezbollah fighters remain holed up in the underground passages beneath the ridge and has vowed to “not allow Hezbollah terrorists to exit the underground tunnel network or move in the area.”

Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared “security zone,” which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border.

In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement committing Lebanon to restoring sovereignty over its territory through the “verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,” which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal. The State of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it.

Israel has so far pulled forces out of three pilot zones into which the Lebanese army entered, but has said it will not carry out any further withdrawals before Hezbollah is disarmed.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.