Iran warns US against Israeli attack on Lebanon ridge

Iran has warned the United States that it would respond with force to any full-scale Israeli offensive on a contested mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military personnel are present alongside Hezbollah fighters, according to three officials briefed on the message. The warning, delivered in mid-August, underscores Tehran's direct involvement in the ground conflict and its readiness to escalate fighting in the region, which has been engulfed in war for seven months. The message was conveyed to Washington through Oman, which has played a mediating role in regional tensions. Two of the officials, who were briefed by Tehran, stated that more than a dozen members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including at least two senior officers, are stationed with Hezbollah fighters at the Ali al-Taher ridge. A third foreign official with direct knowledge of the communication said that as a result of American pressure, Israel postponed a planned attack on the site. The Ali al-Taher ridge has become one of the most fiercely contested areas in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.