Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone, very interesting headlines [00:02] coming out of Lebanon over [00:04] [clears throat] the last uh day or two. [00:06] U an update on the Ali Tahare ridge. I [00:09] made a video about it a few days ago [00:12] about how there was a lot of convergence [00:14] of uh attention on Ali Taher and we have [00:17] a massive update about what is going on [00:19] there in addition to a very interesting [00:21] story uh that we'll get to towards the [00:24] end of the video about uh about a [00:26] prisoner release and some other things [00:28] that are going on with Lebanon. That's [00:30] what we're going to get into in this [00:32] video. So, let's uh start with the top [00:34] headline and this is the New York Times [00:37] reporting but it's everywhere. Israel [00:38] says it cleared tunnels to strategic [00:41] hisbah fortress in Lebanon. And again, [00:44] if you haven't seen the previous video [00:45] on AliER, you should see it. You know, [00:47] maybe I'll put it as the pinned comment [00:49] in this one so you can get caught up if [00:51] you hadn't seen it because there I [00:53] really, you know, I show you on maps and [00:55] describe exactly why Ali Taher was so [00:57] important and it's it's beyond the scope [01:00] of this conversation. So, make sure you [01:01] go see that video. But uh in short, it [01:04] was abbellah stronghold in the high [01:06] ground in Lebanon and uh and we saw the [01:09] Iranians uh freaking out about it which [01:12] we're going to see in a moment. But [01:13] Israel has announced Israel announced [01:14] yesterday that they have cleared the [01:16] tunnels in the Ali Taher Ridge. So let's [01:19] take a look at the reporting here. [01:21] The Israeli military said on Thursday [01:23] that it had cleared militants from two [01:26] tunnels leading to a fortress [01:28] strategically located beneath the hills [01:31] of southern Lebanon and would neutralize [01:34] the underground complex that it said had [01:36] long been used by the Iranbacked group [01:39] to launch attacks against Israel. It's [01:41] much more than that. It had a it was [01:43] really a command center. The ridge [01:45] called Ali alaher is about six miles [01:47] from the Lebanese border with Israel. [01:49] The Israeli military said its soldiers [01:51] had worked to clear two underground [01:54] routes in the ridge area and that some [01:56] militants inside the complex had been [01:58] killed or had fled. There was no [02:01] immediate comment from Kisbala. Of [02:02] course not, because they don't comment [02:04] on their losses, the militant or [02:06] political uh and political group or [02:08] Lebanese officials. The operation began [02:10] in June with thousands of Israeli troops [02:12] surrounding the fortress and trapping [02:15] dozens of militants inside. according to [02:20] the Israeli military [02:24] on Thursday. So now let now they're [02:26] going to turn to how Iran reacted to [02:29] this. On Thursday, Iran warned the [02:31] United States in a message via Oman, [02:34] which has mediated between the two [02:35] countries that Israel's capturing the [02:38] strategic ridge would cross a red line. [02:41] Iran also said that if the offensive [02:43] continued, it would retaliate [02:45] forcefully, according to an Iranian [02:47] official and a member of the country's [02:48] Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp. Now, [02:51] think about that for a moment. I talked [02:52] about this a bit in the previous video. [02:55] The Iranians, of course, always say that [02:57] they want that they want to defend and [03:01] Lebanon. That was that was a clause in [03:03] theou in the memorandum of understanding [03:06] what the Americans signed in June. But [03:09] this is the only instance, [03:12] well it's actually the second instance [03:13] where they've singled out a specific [03:14] location that Israel was attacking, [03:17] saying this is a red line. The first is [03:19] the Dakia neighborhood of Beirut. And [03:21] you might remember this from a couple [03:22] months ago where Israel said that any [03:25] attacks fromah are going to invite are [03:28] going to invite an attack on the Dhaka [03:30] neighborhood which is the main area [03:31] where the top brass of a big it's a [03:34] bigbollah neighborhood basically in [03:36] Beirut [03:38] and [03:40] and Iran that was the last time Iran [03:41] fired a rocket at Israel was in [03:43] retaliation for Israel bombing the [03:45] Dhaka. And this but but this one's [03:48] really interesting because the Iranians [03:50] are specifically singling out this place [03:52] Ali Taher and saying that capturing Alit [03:55] the Israeli an Israeli assault or an [03:58] Israeli capture of Alire crosses a red [04:00] line. You see how important the place is [04:02] because it's got this it's this whole [04:04] network of tunnels and a headquarters [04:06] got a hospital down there. Um that's Ali [04:09] Tahare. [04:11] Iran also said that if the offensive [04:13] continued it would retaliate forcefully. [04:14] All right, there you go. The officials [04:16] who asked not to be named because they [04:18] were discussing sensitive issues said [04:23] that the area had tunnels wherebah [04:26] stored critical weapons [04:30] like rockets and drones and that its [04:32] main command center was underneath the [04:34] ridge. The official from the [04:35] revolutionary guards, so this is the New [04:37] York Times was actually getting [04:39] statements from an official of the IRGC. [04:42] The official from the revolutionary [04:44] guards who said he had been in regular [04:46] contact withah members said that about [04:48] 70 to 100bah members along with Iranian [04:52] advisers from the coup's forces were [04:55] trapped in a tunnel in the Ali Taher [04:58] area as Israeli forces encircled the [05:00] tunnels. Now, this whole issue of [05:02] whether or not there were IRGC personnel [05:04] in the tunnels, there's been back and [05:06] forth. There have been conflicting [05:08] reports about it. But here in this New [05:10] York Times report, which is from [05:11] yesterday, it's saying that they spoke [05:13] to someone in the IRGC and he said that [05:16] there were Iranian advisers from the [05:18] Kuds force. The Kuds force is a is a [05:21] division of the IRGC which is focused on [05:24] the militias abroad. [05:27] Okay. Sobah [05:29] relationship with the Houthis kamas [05:31] whatever it's you know the proxy network [05:33] that's the Kuds force so there were [05:35] Iranian advisers from the Kuds force who [05:38] were trapped in the tunnel in the [05:40] tunnels of Ali Taher the official added [05:42] that had been trying for days to send [05:44] food and water to its trapped soldiers [05:47] using drones but that when they emerged [05:50] to retrieve supplies when people like so [05:53] they would fly in supplies on a drone [05:55] and like drop them down near the [05:56] entrances is. But anytime one of the [05:58] guys came out to retrieve the supplies, [06:01] Israel targeted and killed them. Oh, [06:03] that's so sad. Isn't that sad? They were [06:05] trying to get humanitarian aid to these [06:08] soldiers, to these terrorists, poor [06:10] terrorists. They couldn't get to their [06:12] food in time. The same official said [06:14] that the complex had three exit routes [06:17] and that two of them were under Israeli [06:19] military control while the collapse of [06:20] the third was imminent. For Iran and the [06:25] priority had been to retrieve and save [06:27] the weapons there, he said, but it [06:30] seemed increasingly unlikely that would [06:32] happen. Who knows what they have stored [06:35] down there. I mean, apparently there are [06:36] missiles. I'm not I I don't know what [06:38] the Israelis are going to disclose, but [06:39] that's the big news that Israel has [06:43] Israel said that it had cleared the guys [06:47] from these from these tunnels and would [06:50] now neutralize the complex. [06:54] Now, in terms of the Iranian guys [06:56] getting in there, there's another very [06:58] interesting related story from yesterday [07:02] coming out of the US that [07:06] well, look at the headline report. US [07:08] suspects Lebanese security helping [07:11] Iranian guards enter Lebanon. Loopholes [07:14] in registering deaths from environment [07:18] to facilitate the entry of Iranians into [07:21] Lebanon have been detected. A US source [07:23] said on Wednesday, this is a Lebanese [07:25] news outlet, by the way, quote, "We are [07:27] investigating the passage of Iranians [07:30] using Lebanese documents at Beirut [07:32] airport and land crossings." The source [07:35] told Al Arabia's Al-Had channel, "There [07:38] are suspicions that Lebanese security [07:40] personnel are involved in issuing [07:42] passports to Iranian operatives." [07:45] The source added, claiming that real [07:48] Lebanese IDs are being used to obtain [07:50] documents for the Iranian Revolutionary [07:52] Guard. What are the So, what is this? [07:53] What does this have to do with [07:54] registering deaths? So, apparently, I s [07:56] I read some other articles about this, [07:58] too. Apparently what they've discovered [08:00] is that in the controlled areas they're [08:05] not registering uh all the deaths and [08:09] they're using [08:11] identities [08:12] of [08:14] Lebanese citizens who passed away and [08:17] they're using them as false identities [08:19] for Iranian personnel to get them into [08:23] the to get them paperwork on those [08:26] identities of those of these deceased [08:28] East Lebanese so that they can issue [08:30] them passports and papers and uh and get [08:33] them into the country. The Trump [08:35] administration has monitored the [08:37] movement of the revolutionary guard [08:39] members to and from Lebanon and there [08:41] are suspicions that Lebanese security [08:43] personnel are providing facilitations [08:45] tobala at the airport and the port, the [08:48] [clears throat] US source said, adding [08:50] that Washington has reservations [08:51] regarding members of the Lebanese [08:53] general security. [laughter] [08:56] You see, it's not so simple that um is [09:01] an enemy of Lebanon and that the [09:02] Lebanese people all want to get rid of [09:04] them. It's not so simple at all as you [09:07] see here. But that this could be how [09:09] these IRGC guys got into Lebanon, these [09:13] advisers uh going back and forth. [09:16] Um [09:18] yeah, [09:20] back to the Ali Taher issue. So, we saw [09:22] that the that uh that Israel captured [09:25] it. And this is from just a few hours [09:27] ago. Uh actually, it's from three hours [09:29] ago. This headline, Israel Defense [09:32] Minister Hails capture of Kisbellah [09:35] Highland in Lebanon. Israel defense [09:38] minister on Friday hailed the capture of [09:40] a strategic highland fromah and [09:42] solidifying Israel's security zone in [09:44] Lebanon and vowed that troops would not [09:46] leave it. quote, "The capture of Ali [09:49] Taher Ridge marks the completion of the [09:51] phase of securing control in the [09:53] security zone in southern Lebanon." The [09:55] completion, that's how important Ali [09:57] Taher is. Holding Ali Taher gives, [09:59] again, watch that other video. It it [10:01] gives Israel operational control of a of [10:05] the region of the area there. Defense [10:08] Minister Israel Katz said in a [10:10] statement, "The Israeli military will [10:11] now complete the neutralization of the [10:13] tunnels and prepare the appropriate [10:15] tactical manner to hold the ridge and [10:18] prevent the enemy from reestablishing [10:19] itself in the area. Israel will not [10:22] withdraw from the security zone in [10:23] Lebanon until Kisbalah is disarmed [10:25] throughout Lebanon and the threats over [10:27] the residents of the Galilee are [10:29] removed." [10:31] Now, in that first article I read you, [10:33] it said that Iran called this a red [10:35] line. [10:37] But now what? Israel took it. Iran's not [10:41] attacking Israel. [10:43] Iran is not attacking Israel. Iran is [10:45] terrified of attacking Israel. This is [10:46] just another evidence of the, you know, [10:50] they have no problem attacking Jordan. [10:51] They have no problem attacking Kuwait, [10:53] attacking UAE. This is all ongoing. [10:56] There's more there's more activity [10:57] today. That's not what this video is [10:59] about. But even when they send a message [11:02] through the Omanis to the Americans that [11:04] an Israeli assault on Ali Taher is a red [11:06] line, they still don't do anything. [11:10] They're terrified of the Israelis. The [11:12] Iranians know. I've said this before. [11:14] The regime in Tehran knows that if they [11:16] if they drag Israel into this, it is bad [11:19] news for them. [11:21] Um, and that's and that's what's talked [11:23] about in this article somewhat. This is [11:25] another article about this. uh about the [11:29] Iranian threat, [11:31] the Iranian threat against Israel for [11:33] going into Alitar. Iran threatens [11:35] powerful response as Israel downplays [11:38] risk of escalation over the holidays. [11:40] Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran [11:42] likes to attack on Jewish holidays while [11:44] Tehran warned that a full-scale Israeli [11:46] attack on Ali Taher would be met with a [11:49] powerful response. [11:52] But despite those warnings, threats and [11:55] uh warnings, threats, and rep [11:57] warnings and threat. Oh, it should be [11:59] threats and reports suggesting the [12:01] possibility of an escalation with Iran. [12:03] Senior Israeli officials stressed that [12:05] they had heard of no Iranian intention [12:07] to act against Israel in the in the near [12:09] term. Well, what about the statements by [12:11] the Iranians? You see, the Israeli [12:13] intelligence, the Israelis know what's [12:14] going on with Iran. So, even when they [12:17] put out a statement that that this is a [12:20] red line and we're going to attack if [12:21] you do anything, the Israelis know if [12:23] it's real or not because we're watching [12:24] their every move. [12:26] you know um [12:30] on Wednesday so two days ago cats told [12:34] wet and yot's decision time democracy [12:37] and the democracy and society conference [12:40] that as US pressure on Iran increases [12:43] and as the friction and economic [12:45] pressure on Iran increase there's a [12:47] greater likelihood they will attack in [12:48] other words he's saying we're looking at [12:50] the Iranians and we're seeing them [12:52] getting desperate and I've made a few [12:53] videos about how how things have changed [12:55] changed even in the last week or so. The [12:57] tone out of Iran has changed and they [12:59] seem to be in an absolute state of [13:00] panic. So he's what he said at this [13:03] conference the other day was we have to [13:05] be on our guard even though they're [13:07] terrified of attacking us if they're [13:09] really desperate. We don't know what [13:10] they're going to do. They like to attack [13:11] on Jewish holidays because they hate [13:13] Jews. [13:15] Uh like we saw for example the Yumipur [13:17] war is is very f is famously a Jewish [13:20] holiday. October 7th was a Jewish [13:22] festival also a Jewish holiday. On [13:24] Thursday at a Russia Shana toast at the [13:27] defense ministry, Katz said, "There are [13:28] signs we are seeing that indicate that [13:31] the severe economic pressure Iran is [13:33] under and fears of an uprising and the [13:35] fall of the regime could push them [13:37] toward desperate steps." [13:42] So, it's not just me noticing it, right? [13:43] He went on to warn that an Iranian [13:45] attack on Israel would release us from [13:47] all constraints and lead Israel to [13:49] strike all infrastructure including [13:52] energy infrastructure. At the same time, [13:55] officials stressed that there was no [13:56] special military preparation underway. [13:59] Meaning Katz was making statements and [14:00] maybe for the benefit of the Iranians, [14:03] but officials that were spoken to by uh [14:06] by these um by whoever wrote this, I [14:08] mean this is this is wet. They're pretty [14:10] well connected, saying that there's no [14:12] real plans underway. That does not mean [14:15] Israel is failing to prepare for the [14:17] possibility of escalation. Defensive [14:19] preparations are ongoing at all times, [14:21] including for a range of scenarios in [14:23] which Iran attacks Israel. That's just [14:25] good. You know, doing your job, like [14:27] Israel's always preparing for every [14:29] possibility. But there is no assessment [14:31] that such an attack is imminent. On the [14:33] contrary, Israeli officials believe Iran [14:36] has no real interest in drawing Israel [14:38] into the fighting. Trump also does not [14:40] want Israel involved. They say to avoid [14:42] turning the confrontation into a wider [14:44] regional conflict. And I think that's [14:46] all accurate analysis of where we are. [14:49] Now, before we go on, uh I want to tell [14:51] you about something very exciting that [14:53] we're doing at Israel 365. [14:56] And we've talked about this. If you [14:57] attended uh each of our any of our last [14:59] two webinars, you'll remember we talked [15:01] about this. This is a trip coming up to [15:04] Israel. uh a trip to Israel from uh from [15:08] March 7th to March 14th, 2027. [15:12] Israel behind the headlines tour that we [15:14] are leading. It is eight days with the [15:16] people making the decisions. Private [15:19] meetings at the Knesset, briefings on [15:21] the Syrian and Lebanese borders, uh [15:24] meaning with high level people in the in [15:26] the military and in the communities up [15:28] there, lunch with leaders of of the [15:30] Samaria of Samaria and the Golan. This [15:33] is the Israel that shapes the news [15:35] before the news reports it and you will [15:36] see it with the people who live it. It [15:38] is a tour that is going to be jointly [15:39] led by myself and Dr. David Wormser. Dr. [15:43] David Worms, if you don't know who he [15:46] is, you should get over to the Israel [15:47] 365 news channel and watch my weekly [15:49] conversations with him. He's a senior [15:51] analyst uh uh on Middle East affairs for [15:54] the Center for Security Policy in [15:56] Washington DC. He is a former member of [15:58] the National Security Council. He served [16:01] in both the first Trump administration [16:04] and the Bush administration as a senior [16:06] adviser on the Middle East. He is one of [16:07] the top experts in the world on the [16:10] Middle [snorts] East. And he will and he [16:11] and I will be jointly leading this tour [16:13] for the for the full 8 days, March 7th [16:17] through 14th. Israel behind the [16:19] headlines, an exclusive strategic [16:21] journey offering participants access to [16:23] the places and conversations shaping [16:24] Israel's future. Uh the journey will [16:27] explore Israel through four [16:28] interconnected lenses. Biblical Israel, [16:31] Israel security, reality, national [16:33] leadership, and strategic [16:34] interpretation. It is not a conventional [16:37] sightseeing tour. This is a a a private [16:40] meaning it's a small highlevel [16:42] experience offering participants a rare [16:44] opportunity to engage directly with [16:46] Israeli leaders and frontline [16:48] communities while gaining a deeper [16:50] understanding of the decisions, values, [16:52] and realities shaping the country. It'll [16:54] be limited to 15 to 20 participants. [16:57] It's going to be a small exclusive tour. [16:59] Luxury tour. Uh so it's going this is [17:02] going to be a high-end luxury tour. [17:04] Five-star hotels, meals included. And [17:07] you can go to the uh link in the [17:09] description of this video. I will add [17:11] this link. Uh it's israel 365.com. [17:15] Um and uh you could find the tour there, [17:18] but you go to israel365 tours. I'm going [17:20] to I'm going to put this link in the [17:22] description of of this video. Uh but uh [17:24] we'll uh and we'll start adding it to [17:26] all the videos. So, if you want to sign [17:28] up for this tour uh and uh yeah, and all [17:31] the details are on this landing page. [17:33] So, make sure you if you're interested [17:35] in a life-changing, very unique trip to [17:38] Israel. Go ahead and sign up there. And [17:41] if you're already in Israel and want to [17:42] participate in that, there will be [17:43] information on uh coming down the road [17:47] uh about that. and I'll make that [17:48] available as it as it comes. Okay, back [17:52] to our topic. Now, another interesting [17:56] headline out of Lebanon from the last [17:58] couple of days. This is actually a [17:59] headline from today. Red Cross says [18:02] transferred four people released by [18:04] Israel to Lebanon. The Red Cross on [18:07] Friday said it had facilitated the [18:08] transfer to Lebanon of four more people [18:11] detained by Israel a day after a first [18:13] person was freed. So yesterday, Israel [18:17] released someone who was being held by [18:19] Israel, a Lebanese citizen uh who was [18:23] detained and they released four and they [18:25] released them and they released four [18:26] more today. Israel is believed to have [18:28] seized dozens of people from Lebanon [18:30] amidst its recent war with Iran Bakbah. [18:33] Quote, the International Committee of [18:34] the Red Cross at the request of the [18:36] relevant parties facilitated the [18:38] transfer to Lebanon of five individuals [18:40] released from Israeli detention. One [18:42] individual was transferred on Thursday. [18:44] four others on Friday. Israel on [18:46] Thursday said it had decided to release [18:47] five civilian captives, freeing the [18:49] freeing the first of them that day. [18:53] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin [18:54] Netanyahu on Thursday said that after [18:56] their interrogation was completed, it [18:58] became clear that these are civilians [19:00] who have not engaged in terrorism. [19:03] uh Israel on Thursday through the ICRC, [19:05] the intern the the Red Cross. They freed [19:07] Malik Gazi whose family had lost contact [19:10] with him in October last year when he [19:12] went out to exercise near his [19:13] southeastern hometown of Anata. He went [19:15] into an area he wasn't allowed to be in, [19:17] and he got arrested. Lebanese [19:19] authorities have not officially [19:20] announced the number of citizens Israel [19:22] seized during the war and subsequent [19:24] 2026 conflict, but a list of more than [19:27] 30 people has been compiled by their [19:29] families and a committee working on [19:30] their cases. After the latest round of [19:32] Lebanon Israel talks in Rome last month, [19:35] a Lebanese official said Israel gave [19:37] Beirut a list of individuals to demand [19:40] the return of their remains. [19:43] Interesting. What's that about? So, this [19:44] is actually an exchange. And here's what [19:47] that's about. Israel's release of five [19:49] Lebanese detainees follows progress in [19:52] search for remains of 12 Lebanese Jews [19:56] murdered in the 1980s. [20:00] How about that? Israel's decision to [20:02] release five Lebanese citizens captured [20:04] during the war partly reflects progress [20:07] in the talks with Beirut over the search [20:10] for 12 members of Lebanon's Jewish [20:12] community, kidnapped and murdered some [20:16] 40 years ago. [20:19] 40 years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin [20:21] Netanyahu instructed Galh, he's the head [20:24] of the missing person's unit, to raise [20:26] the case with Lebanese officials when [20:28] the negotiations began. Israel [20:31] subsequently provided intelligence, [20:33] including maps, aerial photographs, and [20:36] other information pointing to possible [20:38] locations of the remains. [20:41] So, here's what happened. Leaders, these [20:44] are leadership of the Jewish community [20:46] in Lebanon. A number of leaders of the [20:49] Jewish community, members of the Jewish [20:50] community were kidnapped in the mid [20:52] 1980s byah or other militias that were [20:55] up there and they were murdered. And the [20:58] Israelis have been [21:00] have been wanting to get those remains [21:03] brought to Israel for proper burial. The [21:06] families of those people live in Israel [21:08] and have been desperate to have their [21:10] family members remains retrieved and [21:12] brought to Israel. Again, these these [21:14] were people these were Jews who were [21:16] murdered by terrorists in the 1980s. And [21:19] you know, this just underscores uh you [21:21] know, the value that the state of Israel [21:24] places on on bringing the remains of our [21:28] people back to the land for proper [21:30] burial uh in Israel where their families [21:34] can then also have a grave to visit and [21:35] get closure on these stories. uh just [21:38] like we saw recently uh that Yehuda Katz [21:41] that soldier who was who was abducted in [21:44] 1982 his remains were brought back to [21:46] Israel and this is just you know this is [21:49] this is just part of the same value [21:51] system that Israel has about these [21:53] things. Now, these these bodies have not [21:55] been found yet, but Israel released [21:57] these these detainees as a confidence [22:00] building measure, as a quidd proquo for [22:03] progress being made on the on um on [22:06] finding the the remains of these 12 [22:08] Lebanese Jews. They haven't found them [22:10] yet. They haven't brought them back to [22:13] Israel yet or brought them to Israel [22:15] yet. But that's uh that's just an [22:17] interesting story. uh a confidence [22:19] building measure and the the release of [22:21] the detainees [22:23] um has also provided benefit to Joseph [22:26] Aun the president of Lebanon. Uh he's [22:29] you know he's been because he's been [22:31] under attack for for you know for the [22:34] negotiations with Israel and says you [22:36] know we're the real defenders of [22:37] Lebanon. So when he brings back some [22:39] detainees and he can show that he's [22:41] actually getting some benefit from the [22:42] negotiations with Israel and that the [22:44] Lebanese people benefit from these [22:46] relationships, that actually makes it um [22:49] makes it easier for him to continue in [22:52] these negotiations with Israel, this [22:53] cooperation with Israel. So that's a [22:55] good thing. All right, we'll leave it [22:57] there. That's my Lebanon update. And uh [23:00] you know, please make sure to uh like, [23:03] subscribe, and um and share this video [23:06] and tell people about what we're doing [23:07] on this channel. And uh thank you for [23:10] watching. God bless.
