Will Ali Al-Tahir Height Change South Lebanon Map?

Assessing the Experimental Security Zones

Political writer and analyst Ali Hamada maintains that the experimental security zones plan has not failed, despite reports that Israel informed American officials two weeks ago that the test had broken down, according to MTV Lebanon. Israel claimed the Lebanese Armed Forces failed to secure the territory effectively, alleging that Hezbollah members infiltrated several deployment zones alongside returning civilians.

American officials remain firmly committed to the experimental zones project, viewing it as a complex test rather than a failure, and believe the execution can be corrected, Hamada told MTV Lebanon. He notes that Israel has not stepped back from its military posture, and no final decision has been made regarding a pullback to what Israel terms the “gray line.”

Proposed Gray Line and Military Positions

Retired Brigadier General Marcel Baloukji outlines the proposed military outline of the Israeli gray line, explaining that it represents a tactical option rather than an immediate political decision, according to interviews published by MTV Lebanon. The proposed buffer zone would extend two to four kilometers deep from Naqoura through Dhahira and Alma al-Chaab, reaching Yarin, Marwahin, Ramyah, Aita al-Chaab, Blida, Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, Meiss el-Jabal, Houla, Deir Siriane, Markaba, Rab al-Thalathine, Odaisseh, Kfar Kela, Khiam, Kfar Chouba, and Shebaa.

Baloukji identifies the Ali al-Ttaher heights as a strategic node and core defensive system, while noting that Shaqif provides Israel with defensive cohesion to split the Bekaa from the south, control the Nabatieh-Kfar Remman axis, close Zahrani, and dominate the Tuffah region down to the Awali river, as reported by MTV Lebanon. While the loss of Ali al-Ttaher would not spell the end of Hezbollah—given that strategic missiles are stored in Mount Rihan rather than Ali al-Ttaher—Baloukji indicates that its fall would mean the loss of Nabatieh, delivering a heavy morale blow and removing a primary justification for armed presence.

Diplomatic Tracks and Ongoing Negotiations

Hamada argues that direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel remain the best available course for the Lebanese state, warning that the alternative is unrelenting war, destruction, and displacement, according to MTV Lebanon. He points to the recent release of five Lebanese prisoners as tangible evidence of the utility of continued diplomatic engagement.

Baloukji characterizes the Israeli proposal as a military suggestion drafted by a committee rather than a binding political decree, emphasizing that it remains a secondary option to be considered only after negotiations conclude and Lebanon fulfills all required conditions, as reported by MTV Lebanon. Meanwhile, military operations in Nabatieh risk expanding into a wider regional incursion as bombardment continues to drive up casualties across southern towns.