Israeli officer moderately hurt in overnight clash with Hezbollah gunmen — army

IDF later says it killed the operatives after gunfight in the Ali Taher Ridge area near Nabatiyeh, where members of terror group are believed to be hole up in a major tunnel system

An Israeli officer was moderately injured in a clash with Hezbollah gunmen in southern Lebanon overnight, the military said Saturday morning.

The clash took place in the Ali Taher Ridge area, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which later announced carrying out a strike that killed the gunmen.

The IDF said the officer was taken to a hospital, and his family was notified.

The military has been monitoring a massive Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the Ali Taher ridge, near Nabatieh, where dozens of operatives are still believed to be holed up.

However, because of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF has been prevented from capturing the underground passages beneath the ridge, though it has continued to operate in other parts of south Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment from Lebanese authorities or Hezbollah. The terror group has not claimed any attacks since June 20.

A US-sponsored framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel in late June aims to end hostilities, with Lebanon’s army to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military to withdraw from “pilot zones” where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The IDF has since withdrawn from one such area, but Israel is reportedly refusing to withdraw from any more areas within the forward defense line it controls until Hezbollah disarms.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the deal and refuses to disarm, and there is no timetable for Israel’s full withdrawal.

“The additional [withdrawal] areas will not be on our side, in the defense lines that we have stabilized,” an Israeli official told [forward defense] line. We will not allow further withdrawals of the area on our side. Until Hezbollah is disarmed in Lebanon – that is what was agreed upon.”

The next round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks is set to begin Tuesday, August 4, in Rome, and continue until Thursday.

According to the Channel 12 report earlier this week, Israel’s focus will be on maintaining the freedom to re-enter areas it handed over to the Lebanese army, should it need to deal with Hezbollah threats. Israel won’t agree to withdraw from any more territory without that agreement on freedom of action.

The Rome talks will further focus on advancing the implementation of the framework agreement for an eventual peace deal between Israel and Lebanon.

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah started on March 2, after the Lebanese terror group fired rockets into Israel to support Iran, its main backer. In response, Israel launched an aerial campaign and ground invasion in southern Lebanon, which has caused more than a million Lebanese to be displaced and more than 4,300 people have been killed, according to Lebanese authorities. Those tolls do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel said late last month it had killed at least 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.

Lebanon’s top political leadership criticized Hezbollah for dragging the country into another war, but also condemned Israel for its strikes and ground invasion. Hezbollah has denounced the talks and agreement with Israel, but has not tried to sabotage it through military means.