After the IDF announced Thursday that it had seized the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge and cleared it of Hezbollah infrastructure, the terror group is now presenting its own version of the Israeli takeover,

According to the pro-Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Hezbollah is portraying the loss of the ridge as a deliberate decision, claiming it “chose to evacuate the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge and hand it over to IDF forces rather than turn it over to the Lebanese Army.”

The report said Hezbollah took the step despite being explicitly advised to hand the ridge over to the Lebanese negotiating delegation — a move that could have significantly strengthened Beirut’s position ahead of the eighth round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations, expected in the second half of September.

The report also raised the possibility that Tehran approved or even coordinated Hezbollah’s withdrawal. The prevailing assessment in Lebanon, according to the newspaper, is that Hezbollah would not abandon a military stronghold of such strategic importance without first consulting Iran and receiving its approval — particularly after Iranian leaders had threatened only recently to intervene militarily to defend the ridge.

Questions have also emerged over the fate of Iranian personnel who may have been inside the sprawling underground complex. Reports cited by Reuters claimed that more than 10 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including at least two senior officers, had been stationed inside the underground fortress.

A Lebanese source familiar with the Israel-Lebanon negotiations said the circumstances have fueled speculation that the evacuation may have been part of a broader arrangement involving Tehran. According to the source, international mediators may have brokered a deal allowing the Iranian military experts allegedly inside the complex to leave safely in exchange for Hezbollah abandoning the ridge.

The report comes after IDF forces took control of the Ali al-Taher Ridge and destroyed Hezbollah’s extensive underground infrastructure in the area.

Hezbollah has sought to downplay the significance of the Israeli operation, accusing Israeli media outlets of inflating the takeover into a major military achievement.

Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamadeh similarly sought to minimize the development, saying of reports that Israel had taken control of the ridge: “Even if it is true, it is not a disaster.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)