Israel says Hezbollah tunnel found on Lebanon border

By Wassim Saif al-Din

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT

The Israeli military said Tuesday a cross-border tunnel was discovered near border with Lebanon.

In a statement, the army said the tunnel was dug by Lebanese group Hezbollah south of Lebanese town of Kafr Kela.

“[The tunnel] did not pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in the surrounding area,” the statement said.

Earlier Tuesday, the army launched a military operation to “expose and thwart” cross-border tunnels allegedly dug by Hezbollah along border with Lebanon.

The Israeli army says the effort, called Operation Northern Shield, “aims at thwarting Hezbollah’s offensive tunnels stretched inside Israeli territories”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, hailed what he described as successes of the anti-tunnel operation.

“The operation's goal is exposing and neutralizing terror tunnels from Lebanon,” he said in a statement.

"Whoever tries to harm the State of Israel will pay a heavy price,” he said. “We are acting with determination and responsibility in all sectors simultaneously. We will continue with other actions, overt and covert, in order to ensure Israel's security."

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has asked his country’s security apparatuses to closely monitor the Israeli “digging works off the Lebanese territories,” Lebanon’s official news agency (NNA) reported.

Aoun also held contacts with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, and Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun over the Israeli operations.

Hezbollah has not yet comment on the Israeli claims.

In 2006, Israel launched a war against Hezbollah during which at least 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, were killed.