Israel launches “Northern Shield” operation searching for Hezbollah’s tunnels

The IDF announced on Tuesday that it has launched Operation Northern Shield to search for and destroy cross-border tunnels in the north of the country and could be used by Hezbollah in future wars.

“There is more than one tunnel”, Israeli army spokesman Yonatan Konrikos said, adding that it has not yet been used, but poses a threat to the Israelis.

“We announce the start of Operation Northern Shield in the Israeli army, whose military objective will be to uncover military tunnels dug by Hezbollah, which threaten Israel’s security and therefore must be eliminated”, he said.

“Today Hezbollah is a threat to Israel and its security, and we must act in a timely fashion”, Konrikos concluded.

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it had spotted tunnels for Hezbollah to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory and started a process to destroy them.

“The tunnels are not in use, but will be blocked or destroyed without specifying the number of tunnels or the means to be used for this purpose”, Israeli military spokesman Yonatan Konrikos told AFP.

Konrikos stressed that all operations would take place on Israeli territory, although they would probably exacerbate tensions with Hezbollah, which Israel fought a devastating war against in 2006.

In the past, the IDF used various means to demolish or block tunnels from the Gaza Strip.

“We have started Operation Northern Shield to uncover and thwart border attacks through tunnels dug by Hezbollah’s terrorist organization from Lebanon into Israel”, Konrikos told reporters.

Konrikos added that the army established a closed military zone in the sector in question and strengthened its presence without mobilizing reserve soldiers, and no special instructions were issued to the Israeli civilian population.

The announcement came hours after a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels on Monday evening.

Netanyahu said he planned to discuss with Pompeo “the steps we are taking together to repel the aggression of Iran and its proxies in the north”, referring to Syria and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called Tuesday for “discussions in the Security Council” on the discovery of Hezbollah tunnels on the northern border with Lebanon.

“Hezbollah continues to work with financial support from Iran under its leadership and sponsorship”, the diplomat said in a statement.

Israel calls on the international community and the Security Council to condemn Hezbollah’s activity and call on Lebanon to implement Security Council resolutions”.

The statement, which calls for “discussions in the Security Council”, indicates that Hezbollah fighters “are trying to infiltrate into Israel through these tunnels”.

“We will do our best to defend our sovereignty and ensure the safety of the people of Israel”, Danon said.

The White House was quick to give its full support Tuesday to the Israeli operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels under the border with Lebanon.

“The United States strongly supports Israel’s efforts to defend its sovereignty”, White House national security adviser John Bolton said.

“We call upon Iran and all its agents to stop their aggression and regional provocation, which constitutes an unacceptable threat to Israeli and regional security”.

In response to the allegations, the Lebanese army leadership confirmed on Tuesday that the situation on the part of the country is calm and stable and is closely monitored after the Israeli army launched a campaign to uncover tunnels under the southern border.

The UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) command said in a statement that, they informed by the IDF on Tuesday morning, that they started activates southern of the blue line of the borders searching for suspected tunnels.

From their part, the UNIFIL said on Tuesday that the situation was “calm” in the border area to the south, a spokeswoman told AFP just hours after Israel announced the start an operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels linking southern Lebanon and its territory.

Hezbollah didn’t comment on the Israeli announcement.

“The situation in the presence of international forces is still calm”, said Malin Jensen the media official of the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon.

She explained that the international forces “are communicating with all concerned parties to ensure that they use their liaison and coordination mechanisms to maintain calm and stability” in the border area.

UNIFIL troops patrolled near the border with Israel, an AFP photographer saw near the village of Kfarkla, opposite the Israeli settlement of Metulla.

An AFP photographer also saw on Tuesday the movement of Israeli vehicles.

He said that at least a bulldozer with trucks stopped nearby and a number of Israeli soldiers were standing next to the barbed wire from the Israeli side.

The operations are carried out a few meters away from concrete barriers on the Lebanese side, pasted by pictures of Hezbollah fighters, the Lebanese flag, raised on a mast, and banners of Hezbollah.