Israel launches operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels
We have launched Operation Northern Shield to expose and thwart cross-border attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah terror organisation from Lebanon into Israel. Lt-Col. Jonathan Conricus,
Israeli army spokesnman
occupied jerusalem — Israel’s army said on Tuesday it had detected Hezbollah tunnels infiltrating its territory from Lebanon and launched an operation to destroy them, a move likely to raise tensions with the Iran-backed group.
The surprise announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels over regional dangers, with both having repeatedly warned about the activities of Iran, Israel’s main enemy.
Netanyahu said he discussed the operation with Pompeo and called the tunnels a violation of a UN resolution aimed at ending a 2006 war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
“Whoever tries to harm Israel’s security will pay dearly,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“We will continue with further activities, covert and overt, to ensure Israel’s security.”
Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the “attack tunnels” were not yet operational. He declined to say how many were detected, when they reached Israeli territory and how they would be destroyed.
“We have launched Operation Northern Shield to expose and thwart cross-border attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah terror organisation from Lebanon into Israel,” Conricus told journalists.
Later the military specified it had located one such tunnel dug from a home in the area of Kafr Kela in southern Lebanon that crossed into its territory and was working to “neutralise” it.
The tunnel stretched some 200 metres, at a depth of around 25
metres, Conricus said. The area around the Israeli town of Metula has been declared a closed military zone, with the army distributing images of heavy machinery digging into the ground.
All operations would take place within Israeli territory, Conricus said, though they still raised the risk of a response from Hezbollah.
In 2013 the army acted on reports Hezbollah was digging tunnels, but failed to locate any, he
said. Following the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza, in which Hamas used cross-border attack tunnels, the army said it found that “Hezbollah and Hamas share knowledge” and soon after began intensive work to prevent tunnels from Lebanon.
The military has used various means to collapse or fill in tunnels from the Gaza Strip.
No tunnels from Lebanon include exit points within Israel, the army said. —