’Israel’ Deeply Concerned about Hezbollah Cross-Border Tunnels

Local Editor

Zionist daily newspaper, Yediot Ahronot reported yesterday that Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip are “a child’s game” in comparison with Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon.

Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote that the Israeli talk about Hezbollah tunnels did not begin with the Palestinian tunnels that were found during the current aggression on Gaza Strip. But instead, it began a few years ago, after residents complained that they hear sounds of bombing and drilling near their settlements close to the border with Lebanon.

The complaints pushed the Zionist army to take special measures and research operations with the use of modern machines for monitoring and sensing, in addition to vertical drilling operations in more than one place. However, these efforts left no result.

The Israelis in the northern settlements has again become worried about Hezbollah tunnels since discovering Gaza tunnels during the recent Zionist aggression on the strip. Ynet notes that the Israeli army experience Hezbollah tunnels in 2006 war and that these tunnels have been developed and provided with sophisticated equipments. It adds that it is worried that these tunnels may reach the “Israeli territories”.

According to information from the Hebrew newspaper, the designers for the tunnels by Hezbollah, think of every detail and essential need. The tunnels are not dedicated only for the storage of arms and ammunition, but are also dedicated to be centers of command and control. They are made to accommodate fighters and provide them with kitchens, bathrooms, and clinics.

Yediot Ahronot says it is unclear if Hezbollah has continued to dig tunnels into Israeli territory, but there are two factors that would strengthen this hypothesis. The first factor is that Hezbollah has threatened the Zionist entity of invading settlements in Galilee. The second factor is having offensive tunnels by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with confirmation that the Hamas doctrine feed off Hezbollah combat tunnels.

In turn, Times of Israel newspaper confirmed that the complaints of settlers in the north and their fear of Hezbollah tunnels resonate with the new Israeli leadership, linked to the tunnels in Gaza.

According to the newspaper, Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon responded to the requests of the settlements adjacent to the border with Lebanon, and decided to deal with the concerns seriously.

The paper revealed that the administration of the development of weapons and technological infrastructure at the Ministry of Defense, contacted expert geologists from the University of Tel Aviv and asked for their help in tracking the potential  activities of Hezbollah underground.

“Therefore, a broad scientific project was established, but it seems it would cost a large amount of money and it would take years, all in an attempt to find a technological response to this threat,” Al Akhbar reported.

Al Akhbar wrote that one of the bosses of the new project said that “the security establishment does not want to repeat the mistakes in Gaza. The want to find a quick solution so they are not surprised and adjust without response.”

“The current trend is based on the lack of disregard for the hypothesis that Hezbollah has already drilled cross-border tunnels towards Israeli territory.”

An Israeli official confirmed that the nature of the ground on the border with Lebanon is contrary to the nature of the ground in the Gaza Strip, adding that in Lebanon it is more difficult to dig tunnels.

However, a geology specialist spoke to Israel’s Channel 2 and stressed that drilling in the rocky terrain in south Lebanon is not as difficult as it seems and “any cross-border tunnel, with a distance of no more than several meters away, will not take more than six months to be built.

The army spokesman told Yediot Ahronot that the military units implement precautious measures, procedures, and defense along the northern border, including defensive measures and collection of information. They also address the issue of tunnels, as it is one of the existing threats in the northern area.

However, the military confirms it has not yet detected any tunnels or passage ways underground on the border with Lebanon.

Source: Al-Manar