Iran-US Warning Over Lebanon Ridge: Military Threat Report

Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a stark warning to the United States in August that Tehran would launch a large-scale military response if Israel proceeded with a planned ground assault on the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to a comprehensive Reuters investigation published Thursday.

The Iranian message, delivered through Oman acting as intermediary, resulted in significant American diplomatic pressure on Jerusalem that led to postponement of the planned Israeli operation.

According to the investigation, the strategic ridge has become a central flashpoint in the conflict. Hezbollah constructed a massive underground command center and weapons storage facility there. Israeli Defense Forces, having captured extensive territory south of the ridge, have effectively encircled the installation and taken control of the surrounding area.

Many of those believed to be sheltering in the complex are Iranian commanders operating alongside Hezbollah forces, potentially including high-ranking officers from the regime's Quds Force, according to the assessments. Israel has been conducting a sustained, low-profile campaign to neutralize the ridge, with previous international reports indicating that Israeli forces have targeted the facility's infrastructure—cutting off water, electricity, and ventilation systems, and reportedly conducting covert penetration operations using special forces units.

A foreign source involved in the matter told Reuters that following Iran's ultimatum, Washington applied substantial pressure on Israel. The diplomatic intervention from the United States ultimately resulted in postponement of the planned Israeli assault on the ridge. Tehran's message was unambiguous: any Israeli military action at the site would trigger a broad military response from Iran.

The Ali al-Taher ridge, which overlooks southeastern Lebanon, has been designated by the IDF as one of the "primary operational focal points" in the fighting in southern Lebanon. The underground complex Hezbollah built there serves as a central command facility and strategic weapons depot. Israeli control of the terrain surrounding the ridge has left the trapped Hezbollah fighters and Revolutionary Guards personnel cut off from any possibility of rescue or resupply.

Senior Hezbollah officials acknowledged in public statements that they control the hill and are confronting any Israeli advance, but refused to provide details about the nature of the facility there. In conversation with Reuters, the terror organization's media office chose neither to confirm nor deny the existence of the Iranian message, but noted it would be a "natural conclusion" that such a warning was indeed sent.

"Iran views any Israeli ground movement in southern Lebanon, particularly territorial expansion, as a serious violation of the Islamabad agreement," Hezbollah's media office claimed. They were referring to a memorandum of understanding from last June between the United States and Iran that included understandings regarding a ceasefire in Lebanon. According to their claim, any Israeli action on the ridge would constitute a breach of those understandings.