Israel’s military has cleared Hezbollah fighters holed up in tunnels under the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claims, though the group did not immediately comment, Reuters reports.

Israel has claimed Hezbollah fighters were embedded in tunnels under the ridge, which overlooks a wide area and had become one of the most hotly contested areas in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, despite a ceasefire announced in June.

“The mission was completed and the tunnels were cleared of terrorists,” Katz said on social media, after a statement by the military claiming it had operational control of the ridge.

The military said some Hezbollah fighters were “eliminated”, while others fled.