Months after ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah battle over a strategic hill in Lebanon

Months after ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah battle over a strategic hill in Lebanon 0 seconds of 49 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Displaced families in Lebanon's schools-turned-shelters are in limbo as the new school year looms 01:02 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 00:49 00:49 More Videos 01:02 Displaced families in Lebanon's schools-turned-shelters are in limbo as the new school year looms 01:18 Residents of Venezuela oil hub await impact of renewed operations, amid sweeping agreement with US 00:32 Trump vows to hit 35 battleground races despite sagging polls 01:16 Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union 00:54 Milei announces construction of navy base after British oil exploration of the Falkland Islands 00:29 Penn State drug ring defendant granted bail 02:09 Gloria Steinem, voice of feminist movement, dies at age 92 00:53 Iranian media and Red Crescent footage show damage after US attack on Iran Close 1 of 6 | Israel claimed ‘operational control’ of Lebanon’s Ali Taher and a network of tunnels beneath it, in a rare flashpoint after the ceasefire. Israel’s military said Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran, had used the tunnels to shelter its fighters, and weapons, and had repeatedly attacked Israeli forces in the area with drones. It is unclear how far Israel’s control extends. There has been no official statement from Hezbollah since Israel’s announcement. (AP video shot by: Malak Harb) 2 of 6 | An Israeli tank moves past a convoy of the Lebanon" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="200660" data-entity-type="organization">United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel on June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) 3 of 6 | Homes lie in ruin in the southern village of Kfar Rumman, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) 4 of 6 | People drive past buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) 5 of 6 | The Ali Taher Hill is seen in the background overlooking destroyed houses in the southern village of Kfar Rumman, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) 6 of 6 | Residents drive past buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) By BASSEM MROUE Updated 8:41 AM MESZ, September 5, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit BEIRUT (AP) — Since a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hezbollah more than two months ago, fighting has stopped in much of Lebanon, but not on a strategic hill overlooking parts of a main southern city. In recent weeks, Ali Taher hill has been the scene of daily shelling and airstrikes by Israel’s military. Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran, has repeatedly attacked Israeli forces in the area with drones. The United States, which is mediating talks between Lebanon and Israel, had wanted Hezbollah to hand over the hill to the Lebanese army as part of larger plan to disarm the militant group and dismantle its infrastructure. But Hezbollah has refused. Lebanon and Israel reached a framework agreement in June stating Israel will withdraw from Lebanon as Hezbollah is disarmed. The militant group was not a party to the negotiations and has rejected calls to disarm in areas north of the Litani river, which is where Ali Taher is located. A full-on battle over this hill near the city of Nabatiyeh could escalate fighting across the country, and unrest in Lebanon complicates efforts to resolve the war in Iran. On Thursday night, Israel’s military announced it had taken “operational control” of Ali Taher and a network of tunnels beneath it that Hezbollah uses to shelter its fighters and weapons. It is unclear how far Israel’s control extends. Just before Israel’s announcement, its air force was still targeting the hill, according to Lebanese state media. There has been no official statement from Hezbollah since Israel’s announcement. Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 11 people in another test to truce 3 MIN READ 2 soldiers killed in Lebanon in the first Israeli deaths since June truce with Hezbollah 5 MIN READ Israel frees 4 more Lebanon prisoners in a deal tied to missing Jews from Lebanese civil war 5 MIN READ US pushes Lebanon to pressure Hezbollah Hezbollah firmly rejected a proposal from the Lebanese government to hand over Ali Taher to the country’s army. It fears Israel would then seize control of the hill from the Lebanese army and then demand the handover of more territory. Israel had occupied Ali Taher for 18 years before it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. The hill has a strategic location overlooking several villages as well as main roads leading to Nabatiyeh. Losing full control of it would disrupt Hezbollah’s presence and supply lines in the area. The Israeli military says the site is also important to Hezbollah because of tunnels it built there, with funding from Iran. Israel said in its statement Thursday that the hill housed underground command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. Israel said it cleared Ali Taher of Hezbollah fighters and was working to “neutralize underground infrastructure sites.” Hezbollah legislator Ihab Hamadeh questioned why the Israeli military was still attacking the hill if it was really in control of the area, according to the Arabic-language version of Russia’s state-funded news outlet Sputnik. An Associated Press photographer who visited the nearby village of Kfar Rumman on Friday saw no sign of Israeli military presence on the hill. The hill, topped with a shrine to a Muslim scholar, sits north of the Litani river, which has become the de facto boundary of the area captured by Israel since its latest war with Hezbollah began in early March. Fighting in the area has heated up in recent weeks Israel has been conducting military operations around Ali Taher since July, said Nasser Khdour, a Middle East researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, a U.S.-based group that tracks conflicts around the world. Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati told a Lebanese podcaster in late August that the group’s fighters were repelling attempts by Israeli troops to take Ali Taher. But he, and others, downplayed the significance of the site should Israel take it. “Ali Taher is important, but if it is lost it does not mean the end of Hezbollah,” Qamati said. In mid-August, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon that it described as retaliation for a Hezbollah drone attack on Ali Taher that seriously wounded three soldiers. The Israeli strikes, which killed 11 people, including women and children, were the deadliest since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late June. On Aug. 27, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes, killing one person and wounding six, after the military said Hezbollah fired two explosive drones at Israeli troops in the area. Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for any of the attacks. Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told an Arab TV station in late August that the Lebanese army was ready to take over Ali Taher. He accused Israel of blocking the army due to its own political considerations ahead of Israeli national elections on Oct. 27. “The problem is not in the Lebanese army’s readiness but in Israel’s stance,” he said. Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to meet for negotiations in Rome later this month. Meanwhile, Hezbollah, which has always refused to speak directly to the U.S., appears to be changing its policy after the major setbacks it has suffered during its wars with Israel since 2024. A Lebanese official told The Associated Press that indirect contacts are going on between the U.S. and Hezbollah, but refused to give any details. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, said recently that Washington is ready to speak with Hezbollah if the group agrees to disarm. Still, Hezbollah is not likely to take any move forward regarding talks with the U.S. without a green light from its main backer, Iran. While talks with the U.S. over their war have stalled, Iran has sought guarantees that Israel will halt its attacks on Hezbollah as part of any permanent deal. Capture of Ali Taher could lead Israel to other Hezbollah strongholds The capture of Ali Taher would open the way to Nabatiyeh and also lead to the nearby Apple Province and Rihan Mountain, where Hezbollah has been building up its presence since the late 1990s. Israeli leaders have repeatedly pledged to leave troops in Lebanon and threatened to escalate military pressure until Hezbollah disarms. “Israeli control of the area is an operational and military setback for Hezbollah,” said Khdour of ACLED. He said clearing these sites helps Israel protect towns in the northern part of its country, and increases pressure on Hezbollah. “This will strengthen Israel’s position in any future negotiations over its withdrawal,” said Khdour.