Israel is considering whether to maintain control of the Ali al-Taher heights in southern Lebanon or hand the area over to the Lebanese army, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported, as Israeli airstrikes on the strategic hills have intensified in recent days.

Kan said the issue was recently discussed by Israel’s senior security leadership, which is weighing whether continued Israeli control of the heights remains necessary or whether responsibility for the area can be transferred to Lebanon’s armed forces.

According to Kan, Israeli assessments indicate that most of the Hezbollah fighters believed to be present in the Ali al-Taher heights have been killed. The assessment appears to have prompted Israel’s security establishment to examine the possibility of handing the area over to the Lebanese army.

The potential transfer would mark an important test of Lebanon’s ability to assume greater responsibility for security in the south, particularly as Israel has been pressing for Hezbollah’s military presence and infrastructure to be removed from areas close to its border.

At the same time, Kan reported that Israel remains dissatisfied with the Lebanese army’s performance so far in the designated pilot zones in southern Lebanon.