Media: Dozens of Hezbollah fighters trapped in tunnels beneath Ali al-Taher ridge

Dozens of Hezbollah fighters are trapped in tunnels beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces continue an operation to seize and neutralise the underground complex, according to the Israeli military and Iranian officials.

Israel said on September 3 that its forces had cleared Hezbollah militants from two tunnels leading to the fortress, which it says has been used by the Iran-backed group to launch attacks against Israel. Some militants inside the complex were killed or fled, the Israeli military said.

The ridge lies about six miles (9 km) from the Lebanese border with Israel. Iranian officials said the tunnels contain critical weapons, including rockets and drones, as well as a Hezbollah command centre.

An Iranian official and a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said to The New York Times that, between 70 and 100 Hezbollah members, along with Iranian Quds Force advisers, were trapped inside the tunnels. Iran warned through Oman that capturing the ridge would cross a red line and threatened a forceful response if Israel continued its operation.

The Israeli operation began in June, when thousands of Israeli troops surrounded the complex, according to the military. Israel said the operation was still ongoing.

The offensive risks further straining relations with Lebanon and testing a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Israel said it remained committed to the ceasefire but would continue operating in parts of southern Lebanon it considers a security zone.

The operation also comes as fighting between the United States and Iran has intensified. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that an Iranian attack would remove Israel's constraints on striking Iranian infrastructure, including energy facilities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could eliminate what he called the Iranian threat and bring down the Iranian regime.

By Aghakazim Guliyev