On September 11, while visiting the 36th Division, IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated: “Last night, we dismantled the underground terrorist infrastructure beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge—Hezbollah’s central command, control, and combat facility, built with Iranian support.”
Zamir visited alongside the Commander of the Northern Command, Major General Rafi Milo, and the Commander of the 36th Division, Brigadier General Yiftach Norkin. The visit took place after IDF troops under the division’s command had completed the dismantling of Hezbollah’s underground routes in the area.
According to Zamir: “Beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge lay the tunnel network—right here, behind me. It is part of a vast network excavated over the years at enormous cost: a central Hezbollah site for command, control, and combat operations, constructed with Iranian assistance. Furthermore, inside these sites, our troops discovered advanced Iranian-made weapons intended to strike IDF troops and communities in northern Israel.”
Following the Hamas attack on October 7, it was Hezbollah that initiated the war against Israel on the northern front. Hezbollah is fighting and destroying Lebanon, acting as an emissary of the Iranian regime.
“Any village where terrorist infrastructure is established and terrorists are present exposes itself to risk. Look at what happened in Qantara and Majdal Zoun: entire villages were damaged because an underground ‘terrorist city’ had been built beneath civilian homes.” According to Samir, then, the massive construction activity in Lebanon—which also involved the use of pesticides and the slaughter of grazing livestock—was carried out to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
He added: “Look at what happened on the Ali al-Taher ridge: see how many resources Hezbollah invested at the expense of Lebanese civilians. Resources that were wasted. After the heavy blow Hezbollah suffered, we will not allow the organization to rebuild its capabilities or re-establish itself in the area. We will defend our communities at all costs; the IDF acts as a frontline shield. Any attack against communities in northern Israel or against the IDF troops defending them will be met with an immediate and decisive response. The Lebanese Army must demonstrate effectiveness on the ground. Otherwise, it will not be possible to move forward with the agreement signed between the governments of Israel and Lebanon.”
Essentially, he has just confirmed that Israel will not leave Lebanon, even after Hezbollah lays down its arms.
“Citizens of Israel: in recent weeks, we have conducted extensive military operations in the sector, led by the Northern Command under Major General Rafi Milo, the 36th Division, and the brigades engaged in combat. We secured the Taher ridge before the eve of Rosh Hashanah and redeployed within the area. The ‘Yellow Line’ remains entirely under our operational control, without any changes. We have conducted continuous situation assessments to ensure the mission is accomplished, while maintaining the utmost focus on the safety of our troops.”
“We have employed all IDF capabilities in an integrated manner: intelligence, operational, ground, air, and logistical. Our troops have successfully completed the mission thanks to their courage, determination, dedication to the task, and unwavering will to achieve decisive results in line with our set objective.” So, after Gaza, Israel retains southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights, and now it is the West Bank’s turn.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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