Iran has warned the US that an Israeli escalation of operations aimed at capturing the strategic Ali al-Taher Hill in south Lebanon will be met with a “forceful response” from the Islamic Republic, sources told Reuters on 3 September.

The message was delivered to Washington last month, according to the report.

“Tehran threatened that any full-fledged Israeli offensive on the ridge ⁠would be met with a large-scale Iranian attack,” the report went on to say.

It also claims that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are present at a key Hezbollah site located under Ali al-Taher.

“The [Iranian] message was delivered via Oman, which has played a mediating role,” Reuters said, adding that “it was delivered around mid-August and that as a result of US pressure, Israel put off storming Ali al-Taher.”

“This is not accurate,” a White House official said in response to the report.

In comments to Reuters, Hezbollah did not confirm or deny the report, but said it was a “natural conclusion” that Tehran would send such a warning to the US.

“Iran considers any Israeli move on the ground in southern Lebanon, especially territorial expansion, a major violation of the ‌Islamabad Agreement,” the resistance’s Media Relations Department said.

Lebanese analyst Hassan Jouni told Reuters that Israel “may prefer a slow siege” of Ali al-Taher.

“Israel ​is hesitant to storm Ali al-Taher for fear of casualties, especially at this sensitive moment before elections,” he added.

Tehran struck Israel heavily in June over an attack on the Lebanese capital. It has issued several stern warnings over Tel Aviv’s continued campaign of brutal strikes, ethnic cleansing, and occupation in Lebanon.

Tel Aviv has been claiming that the Ali al-Taher area hosts a key underground Hezbollah military facility where resistance fighters are holed up.

Israel previously referred to Hezbollah’s alleged underground facility under Ali al-Taher as one of its “primary operational focuses.”

The hill is a highly strategic location overlooking the city of Nabatieh. Occupation forces have, for months, been bombing and shelling it while attempting to advance toward the site.

According to sources cited by Al Mayadeen on 2 September, Hezbollah targeted and “destroyed” an Israeli military vehicle advancing toward the hill early on Wednesday.

A Hebrew report recently claimed that Israel destroyed Hezbollah “infrastructure” in the area, killing several fighters. That report also said a group of Hezbollah fighters managed to escape.

Hezbollah denies Israeli claims that Tel Aviv is controlling the hill or its surrounding areas. “Our fighters are there and ready to confront any infiltration,” it said in June.

Unofficial reports and observers on social media say the complex said to be located under the hill may be Hezbollah’s famous Imad-4 facility, a key command and weapons storage site.

The resistance group released footage from that site in the summer of 2024, before the deadly pagers terror attack and assassination of former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah.

The site is equipped with missile-launching capabilities.

Israel’s escalation and expansion in Lebanon have intensified since Beirut violated its own laws and agreed to an unconstitutional framework deal with Israel in June, during direct talks with Tel Aviv.

Since 2 March, over 4,000 Lebanese have been killed and over a million displaced. Entire southern villages have been erased by the Israeli army.

Israeli occupation forces have faced heavy losses in south Lebanon since starting their latest ground operation and campaign to expand Israeli occupation, admitting to the deaths of 38 soldiers as well as a civilian contractor who was helping destroy homes.