Fighting over the underground facilities of Ali al-Taher in southern Lebanon has increased the risk of the war returning.

🔸Reuters, citing three officials, says Iran has warned the United States that it would respond forcefully if Israel carries out a wide-scale attack on the “Ali al-Taher” heights in southern Lebanon.

🔸In a report published on Thursday, 12 Shahrivar, Reuters, citing two regional officials, wrote that “more than 12 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” are present in the area alongside Hezbollah forces, and that Tehran’s message was conveyed to Washington via Oman.

🔸A White House official, in response to a question from Reuters about the matter, said “this claim is not accurate.”

🔸The claim that Iranian forces are present at these heights comes as the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” reported on Thursday, citing a military source, that the assessment of the Israeli army is that no Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces are present in Ali al-Taher; although the army has not issued a statement about this.

🔸In recent weeks, Ali al-Taher has become one of the main focal points of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. A senior Israeli military official had previously told Reuters that a number of Hezbollah forces at the underground facilities on these heights are “trapped” without water or food.

🔸According to another Reuters source, the Israeli army has tried, instead of launching a broad assault on the heights, to compel the forces stationed there to withdraw by besieging their underground positions and preventing the delivery of water and food. Reports have also been published about the downing of drones that were sent to deliver supplies to this area.

🔸In response, Hezbollah says its forces still have access to their positions from the northern side. The group’s media office also said Israel’s aim is to create conditions inside the Ali al-Taher facilities that make them “uninhabitable.”

🔸The Israeli army says Hezbollah continues to operate around these heights and, over the past week, has sent two explosive drones toward Israeli forces near them. The possibility of an Israeli ground operation to fully seize Ali al-Taher remains under discussion.

🔸In addition to Israel, the United States also considers Hezbollah Lebanon a terrorist organization. The European Union, however, has placed only the military branch of this group, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, on its list of terrorist organizations.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.