IDF: Hezbollah closing off attack tunnels

The military also said that none of the discovered tunnels constitutes a threat to residents of Israel.

IDF discovers the third tunnel since the announcement of Operation Northern Shield entering Israel from Lebanon. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF discovers the third tunnel since the announcement of Operation Northern Shield entering Israel from Lebanon.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
Hezbollah terrorists have worked to close off some of their cross-border attack tunnels after the IDF uncovered four of them, the military said on Tuesday.
A video the IDF released shows that inside one of the four tunnels there appears to be a “visible attempt to block the tunnel, which appears to have been carried out by the terrorist organization Hezbollah during the past few days,” the IDF said.
While the military did not disclose the location of the tunnel, it stated that its effort to expose and neutralize terrorist tunnels is continuing as planned and information on this operation is being shared with the heads of all local authorities in the North.
The military also said that none of the discovered tunnels constitutes a threat to residents of Israel.
Once Israel exposes the tunnels, they are filled with explosives to prevent their use by Hezbollah ahead of their destruction.
The release of the video documentation came a day after the military allowed CNN’s Ian Lee to drop a camera several meters into a tunnel “large enough for an NBA player to stand in,” complete with ventilation shafts and lights.
In the video released by the IDF on Tuesday and filmed by a small robot, there were visible additions of concrete reinforcement walls. This was different to the construction of the other tunnels uncovered so far.
“From the moment the terrorist tunnels are exposed, IDF soldiers are working on learning about them through various means, including photography and research capabilities,” the IDF said.
The IDF launched Operation Northern Shield two weeks ago to detect and neutralize cross-border attack tunnels dug by the Iranian-backed Shi’ite organization. Israel has already exposed four, including two near the northern town of Metulla.
Dozens of other sophisticated Hezbollah tunnels are believed to have been dug along the 130-km border. The operation – which was planned over the course of two years – is expected to take several weeks to complete.