Hezbollah is believed to have established an underground command facility and stockpiled weapons inside the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategically important position overlooking large parts of southeastern Lebanon.

Iran has warned the United States that it would respond with a large-scale attack if Israel launches a full-scale assault on the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to Reuters. Three officials familiar with the warning said Iranian military personnel are believed to be deployed alongside Hezbollah fighters in the area.

The warning, reportedly issued in August, highlights Iran’s ongoing and direct role in ground operations in southern Lebanon.

The Ali al-Taher ridge is considered a key Hezbollah position, with the group believed to have constructed an underground command center and weapons storage facilities there. Its elevated position provides a strategic view across southeastern Lebanon, making it a major flashpoint in the continuing Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah has publicly maintained that it controls the ridge and would resist any Israeli attempt to advance on the position. The group has referred to a “facility” at the site but has not disclosed additional information. Israel’s military, meanwhile, has taken control of territory south of the ridge and has designated the area as one of its “primary operational focuses.”

Two regional officials who were briefed by Iranian authorities told Reuters that the warning was transmitted through Oman, which has previously played a mediating role. The officials also said that more than a dozen members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including at least two senior officers, were deployed alongside Hezbollah fighters at the ridge.

A third official said the warning was conveyed around the middle of August and claimed that pressure from Washington had contributed to Israel postponing an assault on the ridge. A White House official rejected the claim, stating, “this is not accurate.”

Israel’s Maariv newspaper, citing a military source, reported that Israeli authorities assess that no IRGC personnel remain at the ridge. The report also said some Hezbollah fighters may have died after running short of supplies. Israel has reportedly sought to isolate the position, intercepting drone deliveries carrying food and water in an attempt to make the site “uninhabitable.”

Even with Iran’s warning, a Lebanese source and a senior Lebanese security official said Israel could still launch an operation to seize the ridge in the coming weeks. Hezbollah has warned that a major assault on Ali al-Taher would constitute a return to full-scale war and could trigger missile attacks against communities in northern Israel.