Iran threatens major attacks if IDF captures Hezbollah base hosting Iranian officers

Iran reportedly warns US that it will carry out massive strikes if Israeli forces capture the Ali al-Taher ridge in Lebanon, where Iranian personnel are said to be trapped alongside Hezbollah terrorists.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran has warned the United States that it could launch a large-scale retaliatory attack if Israeli forces move to capture the strategically important Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to a report published Thursday, where more than a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel are reportedly trapped alongside Hezbollah terrorists.

The warning was delivered to Washington through Oman around mid-August, according to three officials briefed on the message cited by Reuters. One foreign official said US pressure following the warning led Israel to postpone a planned assault on the ridge.

Two regional officials said more than a dozen members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are currently with Hezbollah terrorists at the site, including at least two senior IRGC officers.

The claims have not been independently verified. An Israeli military assessment cited Thursday by Maariv reportedly concluded that no IRGC personnel are currently at Ali al-Taher, highlighting uncertainty over exactly who remains inside Hezbollah’s underground complex.

The White House also disputed the Reuters account when asked whether Iran had delivered the warning or whether Washington had pressured Israel to delay an attack.

“This is not accurate,” a White House official said.

Ali al-Taher, roughly 15 kilometers from the Israeli border, is a crucial Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon. The ridge overlooks a broad area stretching toward Nabatieh and connects southern border districts with the Iqlim al-Tuffah region farther north, traditionally an important Hezbollah operational and logistics zone.

Lebanese security sources say Hezbollah constructed an underground command center and weapons depots beneath the ridge, allowing it to use the elevated position for short-range missile and drone operations.

Israeli troops advanced deep into southern Lebanon after the latest war with Hezbollah began in March and captured a series of strategic positions, including Beaufort Castle. The IDF has since surrounded much of Ali al-Taher but has not attempted a full assault on the underground complex.

Instead, Israeli forces appear to have pursued a siege strategy aimed at forcing the Hezbollah terrorists inside to surrender or abandon their positions.

An Israeli military official said in June that fighters inside the complex were cut off from food and water.

Officials familiar with the situation told Reuters that Israel has also intercepted attempts to supply the positions by drone.

Israeli military sources cited by Maariv said some Hezbollah terrorists may already have died inside the facility.

Hezbollah, however, maintains that its forces remain capable of reaching the ridge through routes from the north and says it continues to control the position.

The group’s media office said Iran would regard an Israeli ground advance in southern Lebanon as a violation of the US-Iran understanding reached earlier this summer.

“Iran considers any Israeli move on the ground in southern Lebanon, especially territorial expansion, a major violation of the Islamabad Agreement,” Hezbollah said.

That agreement, negotiated after months of US-Iran fighting, included provisions aimed at reducing hostilities in Lebanon as well as between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has previously demonstrated its willingness to directly intervene when Israel attacks Hezbollah. Tehran fired missiles toward Israel in June following Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets near Beirut.

The possibility of another direct Iranian response is especially significant as fighting between Iran and the United States has itself intensified again this week, following a month-long lull. US forces have carried out new attacks on Iranian radar, missile and mine-laying capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has retaliated against American forces and US allies across the region.

The Ali al-Taher confrontation has also intensified in recent days.

Hezbollah launched two explosive drones toward Israeli troops operating near the ridge overnight Wednesday, according to the IDF. Israeli forces shot down one of the drones, with no Israeli casualties reported, before carrying out retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure near Nabatieh.

The IDF said it “will not allow terrorists in the area to advance and carry out” attacks against Israeli forces.

Hezbollah has warned that a major Israeli ground assault on Ali al-Taher would effectively end the current reduced level of fighting and restore full-scale war, potentially including renewed missile attacks on northern Israel.

Despite Iran’s reported warning, Lebanese officials told Reuters that an Israeli attempt to seize the ridge remains possible in the coming weeks.

The position carries political as well as military importance. Under a US-brokered roadmap, Israel has withdrawn from several areas of southern Lebanon after Lebanese troops entered them, with further Israeli withdrawals linked to the disarmament of Hezbollah.

That process has stalled, however, as Hezbollah has refused to give up its weapons, while Israel has said it will not make additional withdrawals until the group is disarmed.