Israel begins military operation to thwart Hezbollah tunnels

JERUSALEM - UN peacekeepers said they increased patrols on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Tuesday after Israel announced an operation dubbed "Northern Shield" to "expose and thwart" cross-border "attack tunnels" dug by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the military had detected tunnels crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel. He said the Israeli operation to counter the tunnels would be inside Israel, and would not cross the border.

Israel released video footage of digging and pile-driving equipment at work in unidentified locations with trees and bushes in the background, carrying out what it said were "tactical preparations to expose Hezbollah's offensive cross-border tunnel project." The footage could not immediately be verified.

Hezbollah had not yet reacted and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said they had increased patrols along the border, as the Israeli bulldozers went to work.

"The overall situation in UNIFIL's area of operation remains calm," Joumana Sayegh, a spokeswoman for the UN mission which monitors the border region, said in a statement.

"UNIFIL is working with all interlocutors in order to maintain the overall stability," she said.

"UNIFIL peacekeepers have further increased their patrolling along the Blue Line, together with the Lebanese Armed Forces," Sayegh added, referring to the UN-established ceasefire line.

Lebanon's army also said it was monitoring the situation closely.

"Army units deployed in the area are carrying out their usual missions along the border in cooperation and coordination with UNIFIL," it said.

'A clear plan'

The White House gave full backing Tuesday to the Israeli operation. US President Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton said that "the US strongly supports Israel's efforts to defend its sovereignty."

"More broadly, we call on Iran and all of its agents to stop their regional aggression and provocation, which pose an unacceptable threat to Israeli and regional security," Bolton said.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels. An Israeli government source said the purpose of the meeting was to update Pompeo of the upcoming tunnel operation.

Netanyahu said he discussed the operation with Pompeo and called the tunnels a violation of a UN resolution aimed at ending the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The current focus of operations was near the Israeli border town Metulla, IDF spokesman Conricus said, adding that some areas near the border fence had been closed off. An Israeli military source said the operation might take weeks to complete.

The military said the tunnels were not yet operational but posed "an imminent threat" to Israeli civilians, and constituted "a flagrant and severe violation of Israeli sovereignty."

It said the army had "enhanced its presence and readiness" and was prepared for "various scenarios".

Israel and Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006, but tensions have been rising in recent months.

During an address to the United Nations in September, Netanyahu identified three locations in Lebanon where, he said, Hezbollah was converting “inaccurate projectiles” into precision-guided missiles. He warned the group that Israel would not let it "get away with it."

A few weeks ago Netanyahu also hinted at an upcoming Israeli offensive during a televised address. He offered no details, but said: "I will not say this evening when we will act and how. I have a clear plan. I know what to do and when to do it. And we will do it."

He said an upcoming security challenge would require Israelis to "endure sacrifice."

Vulnerable

Israel’s vulnerability to tunnels was laid bare during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in 2014.

What began then as shelling exchanges with Hamas escalated into a ground offensive after Palestinian militants used dozens of secret passages dug from Gaza into Israel to launch surprise attacks.

Hezbollah, founded in 1982 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, gained its moniker as "the Resistance" among its supporters by fighting Israeli troops, who occupied southern Lebanon until 2000, and for its promotion of the Palestinian cause.

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating month-long war during which the Shiite group made extensive use of a network of tunnels to counter Israeli troops.

Hezbollah has grown stronger since the 2006 war with Israel, notably through its role in the Syrian war fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel appears increasingly concerned that Iran is attempting to transfer some of its military influence from Syria, where Russia is the government's top ally, to Lebanon.

Near the Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, AFP correspondents on Tuesday saw at least one Israeli bulldozer churning up earth, apparently as part of Operation Northern Shield.

The Israeli military said it had located one tunnel dug from a home in the Kafr Kela area that crossed into its territory and was working to "neutralise" it.

Over the past decade, Israel and Hezbollah have largely maintained a stand-off - the group has rarely launched attacks into Israel from Lebanon and Israel has rarely struck against the group on Lebanese soil.

But in the past few years Israel has struck dozens of times inside Syria at what it said were advanced weapon deliveries to Hezbollah.