The report by the Israeli newspaper Maariv in its issue the day before yesterday, stating that the road to Beirut and the Bekaa is open following Israel's operational control over the Ali al-Taher hill, was not a shock or surprise to observers but revealed what is on the mind of the Israeli leadership.
It is natural for the Israelis to see the fall of this site, which has recently been elevated in importance strategically, as a significant military achievement added to their list of victories in the field over the past six months.
Conversely, it is clear that the Israelis perceive the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters who were entrenched in the tunnels of this facility and defending it, as a collapse of the main defenses Hezbollah has exerted extraordinary efforts over the past two decades to establish for two military objectives:
- As a primary line of defense extending from the heights of Ali al-Taher through the strategic Shqeef fortress, further to the heights of the apple region to the peaks of Jabal Al-Rihan and reaching Tallet Mleeta, a line estimated to be more than 20 kilometers long.
- Hezbollah created this line of fortifications to become, in the words of military expert Major General Abdel Rahman Shheitli, its "rear artillery base," which houses operations rooms and long-range missile stores and drone launch bases, among other military purposes.
The Lebanese army deployed in Kafrreman after the Israeli massacre, September 7, 2026 (AFP).
Moreover, by achieving this, the Israelis, regardless of its field value, have put an end to the theory of South Litani River and North Litani River, which Hezbollah relies on as a starting point for declaring its acceptance to evacuate the southern river area from any military presence in compliance with the provisions of international resolution 1701, in exchange for the situation north of the river having other measures and arrangements under the title that it is an internal affair included within the national security plan agreed upon between the state and Hezbollah.
Interestingly, 'Maariv' was not alone in initiating discussions about the possibilities after the fall of Ali al-Taher hill. The political and military circles in Tel Aviv were filled with much interpretation and speculation regarding the post-Ali al-Taher phase, which by the reality of things expects it not to be like before, especially from the Israeli side.
From this perspective, a window of speculation opened regarding the directions and points on which the Israeli leadership might focus its efforts in the coming days to exercise more pressure on Hezbollah and its environment, and on the Lebanese situation in general, leading to possibly seizing more southern geography to tighten the noose on the party and scatter what remains of its forces. Here, a previously adopted military forecast, based on the assumption that Israel will somehow repeat its extensive invasion of Lebanese territories in the summer of 1982, is revisited.
Accordingly, analysts and military experts in Beirut revisited a hypothesis they had launched, asserting that Israel will proceed with a process of land seizure whenever needed, to put pressure on Lebanon, and the direction will certainly be towards the heights of the apple region and its extensions because if it manages to control this target, being Hezbollah's last southern defense line, what Maariv reported gains importance since controlling that area permits Israel to control the road connecting the south to the western Bekaa area, which Hezbollah had previously worked on clearing to cut the communication line between the Bekaa and South Lebanon.
If achieved, Hezbollah's rear base in northern Bekaa, especially, would be effectively besieged and rendered useless, and then the Israeli advance towards the southern suburbs and Beirut becomes feasible. In any case, what Maariv reported cannot be included under the category of a slip of the tongue, as it has its objective precedents.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar.
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