A major Israel-Hezbollah showdown is unfolding over the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces have completed the phase of securing control over the ridge and vowed that troops would remain in the security zone. Israel says its forces cleared Hezbollah fighters from tunnel positions beneath the strategic high ground. But Hezbollah has strongly rejected Israel’s claim, saying the ridge has no Israeli military presence and that its fighters remain deployed in the area.

A Hamas commander accused by the IDF of leading the October 7 infiltration and attack on the Sufa military outpost has been killed in a strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The IDF and Israel Security Agency said Muhammad Mahmoud Marshad al-Qadi, a company commander in Hamas’ elite Nukhba Force, was eliminated in the operation. According to the Israeli military, al-Qadi led the attack on the Sufa outpost during the October 7, 2023 assault and was later involved in holding Israeli hostages in the Rafah area.