File image.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on July 29 that an unmanned engineering vehicle was struck overnight by a Hezbollah drone in the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon within its so-called “security zone”.
The attack on the D9 bulldozer, the first since the start of the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon in late June, caused no injuries, according to the military.
“This is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon by the Hezbollah terror organization,” the IDF said
It added that its forces “continue to operate in the ridge area and will not allow terrorists in the area to advance or carry out terror attacks against IDF troops.”
An Israeli source familiar with the matter later told the Jerusalem Post that the IDF will respond to Hezbollah’s drone attack. The source added that talks were being held as to the nature of the response, without deliberating.
The IDF launched an offensive to capture Ali al-Taher — which reportedly houses a Hezbollah underground tunnel base — in June, just as the United States and Iran were finalizing a deal to end the war.
Despite days of fighting near Beaufort Castle and the town of Kfartebnit, Israeli troops failed to take the height, losing three tanks — including one destroyed along with its crew and a battalion commander — and suffering further casualties in a drone strike.
The mounting losses triggered political backlash in Israel, forcing a ceasefire on June 19, though clashes flared briefly in the following days.
By June 21, the offensive had stalled completely, with Hezbollah retaining full control of the ridge and rejecting Israeli claims that its fighters were trapped there.
The latest escalation came amid mounting tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which engaged in a limited confrontation earlier in the month and appear to be heading towards another after an overnight missile attack from the Islamic Republic that targeted an air base hosting American troops in Jordan. The U.S. also carried strikes against armed factions backed by Tehran in Iraq, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the early morning.
An Israeli response against Hezbollah could respark the war in Lebanon, and if fighting resumed in other parts of the region, we could see a wider conflict.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com