Military uncovers Hezbollah tunnels

METULA, Israel — The Israeli military launched an operation Tuesday to “expose and thwart” tunnels it says were built by the Hezbollah militant group that stretch from Lebanon into northern Israel.

The military said the tunnels are not currently being used by militants and that its work to find and neutralize them was taking place inside Israeli territory. However, the operation could heighten tensions between Israel and its Iran-backed foe, which have both been preoccupied with other conflicts since their last conflagration more than a decade ago.

“We see Hezbollah’s activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty” and U.N. resolutions, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman. “This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region.”

The military did not disclose how many tunnels snake into Israeli territory from Lebanon or reveal details of the operation, which it said could last for weeks. Reinforcements were sent to the border, and later Tuesday, the military said the first tunnel had been uncovered, running from a private home in the Lebanese village of Kfar Kela, and would be demolished.

Conricus said the tunnel, outfitted with electricity, a ventilation pipe and a communication cable, was about 220 yards long, at a depth of 80 feet and about 6 feet high.

The tunnel’s exit point was a patch of farmland southwest of the Israeli border town of Metula.