A sixth Hezbollah tunnel was discovered on Saturday as the IDF wrapped up Operation Northern Shield along the border with Lebanon. The IDF said the tunnel was the largest discovered to date, dug 180 feet underground. Originating in the village of Ramyeh, Lebanon, it traversed 2,624 feet before penetrating several dozen yards into Israel. The tunnel reportedly contained railed tracks for transporting heavy loads and carried electrical lines and lighting. The IDF said they plan on destroying the tunnel in the upcoming days.
Israel notified the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) charged with keeping the peace and monitoring compliance with international law along the border. UNIFIL has already confirmed the existence of four tunnels, two of which crossed the border in violation of UN Resolution 1701. UNIFIL refused to acknowledge Hezbollah or Lebanese government responsibility for the tunnels.
180ft deep underground
2,624ft dug under #Lebanon
Dozens of yards dug into Israel
This #Hezbollah attack tunnel was dug from the Lebanese village of Ramyeh into Israel & will be neutralized soon.We have now exposed all attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel. pic.twitter.com/AU0zNbmCCM
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 13, 2019
“All of the tunnels have been exposed and have either already been destroyed or are going to be destroyed,” military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters.”According to our assessments, there are no longer any tunnels crossing into Israel.”
The IDF Northern Command stated that they are continuing to monitor several underground structures in Lebanon. The IDF emphasized they hold the Lebanese government responsible for all such activities that violate international law.
“Operation Northern Shield deprived Hezbollah of the unique offensive abilities it had built over the years as part of its planned attack on Israeli territory,” the army also said. “The operation reflected advanced operational and intelligence technological capabilities and multi-stage detection of underground areas, which have developed even more over the past few weeks.”
Israel is in the process of constructing a security wall to protect against further attempts to infiltrate the border. Lebanon state-run National News Agency quoted Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil as saying on Friday said it would file a complaint to the UN Security Council against Israel’s construction of the wall
