Israel is making clear that the destruction of Hezbollah’s massive underground complex beneath the Ali Taher Ridge does not mean the strategic position is being abandoned.
Defense Minister Israel Katz issued an unmistakable warning following the IDF’s demolition of Hezbollah’s tunnel network beneath the ridge: “Anyone who approaches the Ali Taher Ridge will be destroyed.”
Last week, IDF forces temporarily withdrew from positions on the hill to allow the military to demolish the underground Hezbollah infrastructure that had been constructed beneath it. The facility represented years of Hezbollah preparation for a future war against Israel.
But destroying the tunnels was only one part of the mission.
The more important question is what happens afterward.
According to Katz, the IDF is now preparing to maintain operational control over the ridge, preventing Hezbollah—or any other hostile force—from returning and rebuilding there. Israel can maintain that control through a combination of surveillance, intelligence, airpower, artillery, and ground forces positioned throughout its southern Lebanon security zone.
This matters because terrain matters.
The lesson Israel should have learned from October 7 is that strategic territory cannot simply be abandoned because international agreements promise that an enemy will remain on the other side.
Hezbollah spent years transforming southern Lebanon into a massive military infrastructure while the international community repeatedly failed to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Israel cannot return to that failed concept.
Katz also established a much broader condition for any future Israeli withdrawal: Hezbollah must be disarmed throughout Lebanon.
That is the correct strategic equation.
Israel should not measure success by how quickly IDF soldiers leave Lebanon. Success should be measured by whether northern Israeli communities can live safely without Hezbollah rebuilding military positions overlooking them.
The Ali Taher Ridge therefore represents something larger than one hill.
It represents a new Israeli doctrine: destroy the enemy’s infrastructure, control the strategic terrain, and never again outsource Israel’s security to promises that its enemies have no intention of keeping.