Israel Targets Hezbollah's 'Infiltration Tunnels' on the Border with Lebanon

The Israeli army launched a large-scale operation named 'Northern Shield' at dawn on Tuesday, December 4, to discover and destroy 'infiltration tunnels' dug by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Hezbollah has remained silent on this matter. The Lebanese army states that the situation along the southern borders of the country with northern Israel is currently calm, and UN forces stationed at the border are working to prevent a crisis. Thousands of Israeli soldiers were transferred to the north of the country with engineering equipment to participate in the operation to discover and destroy the 'tunnels', while some troops were also stationed in border areas to face potential contingencies, and the highest level of readiness has been established in northern Israel. The Israeli army claims to have gathered sufficient information about the tunnels that Hezbollah has dug over the years from southern Lebanon to use for 'terrorist' and 'infiltration' operations against Israel, and they had been preparing for their destruction for some time. According to an Israeli army spokesperson, these 'tunnels' have not yet been 'operational', but must be destroyed 'before they become a threat'. The Israeli army emphasized that the operation is taking place along the 'Blue Line' border within Israeli territory and not in Lebanon; the 'Blue Line' is the recognized border between Israel and Lebanon as determined by the United Nations. Colonel Ronen Manlis, an Israeli military spokesperson, reported the discovery of a tunnel that extends 40 meters into Israeli territory during the early hours of the operation. He stated that Hezbollah had dug this tunnel from a civilian house in a village in southern Lebanon and extended it into Israeli territory. Colonel Manlis mentioned that the operation on the first day was concentrated in the settlement of 'Metula' but will continue in other border areas in the coming days. Avichai Edri, an Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli military, also warned the Lebanese government that Beirut is 'responsible for all events in Lebanese territory'. Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the 'enemy' on Tuesday that if they react to this operation, they will face a 'crushing' response. A statement from Netanyahu's office also stated that 'Hezbollah's tunnels are another indication of Iranian aggression, which finances Hezbollah with billions of dollars obtained from the nuclear deal'. Netanyahu reviewed the progress of the 'Northern Shield' operation in a meeting with cabinet ministers and military commanders on Tuesday evening. He issued the order for this operation shortly after returning from Brussels, where he met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu asked the U.S. to send a message to Lebanon to 'control Hezbollah, or else Israel will do it'. Netanyahu stated that he went to meet the U.S. Secretary of State regarding 'a series of regional developments and ways to prevent Iranian aggression and its proxies at Israel's northern border'. Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, stated on Tuesday that 'if Hezbollah attaches Lebanon to Iran's agenda or uses Lebanon as a base to attack Israel, the responsibility will lie with the Lebanese government'. Rivlin added that 'the people of Israel can be calm and assured that they can trust and rely on the army'. The Israeli army's operation began amid assessments by senior military personnel and Israeli media that, given Iran's support for Hezbollah, 'the war between Israel and Iran, which has been conducted through multiple attacks on Iranian targets in Syria over the past two years, will now continue in other countries'. Hezbollah's silence has drawn criticism and skepticism from the Israeli opposition. The political office of Hezbollah, the Shiite organization allied with Iran, has remained silent in response to Israel's operation. Last Friday, Hezbollah issued a video warning to Israel with Hebrew subtitles stating, 'If the audacity intends to attack Lebanon, it will be severely regretted'. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, stated in the mentioned video that 'any Israeli attack will be responded to'. Israel and Hezbollah fought each other 12 years ago in a conflict that lasted 34 days, but Nasrallah has claimed that since then, 'the balance of power has shifted in favor of the resistance front', and his organization now possesses 'precise rockets'. UNIFIL commanders, the UN forces stationed in southern Lebanon, have stated that they are using their powers and resources to coordinate matters to prevent conditions from escalating into an unwanted tension. The Lebanese army reported that the situation in southern Lebanon was calm on Tuesday but added that it is 'carefully monitoring the situation'; the Lebanese army emphasized cooperation with UNIFIL forces. According to Lebanese media, Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, and other Lebanese officials are following the situation and are concerned about the consequences of Israeli movements. A senior Israeli military commander recently stated that in any new conflict with Hezbollah, Israel would not differentiate between Hezbollah-affiliated targets and the Lebanese army. John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, defended the Israeli army's operation to protect its land and people on Tuesday. Bolton called on Iran and its allies to stop their aggressive and threatening activities. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu's order to his ministers to remain silent and refrain from commenting on this operation has faced criticism from some ministers who lack the political courage to openly criticize Netanyahu. Additionally, the army's operation against the 'infiltration tunnels' has drawn criticism from several opposition leaders in Israel, who have questioned the timing of the operation coinciding with Netanyahu's efforts to extricate himself from corruption cases in the police. The Israeli police this week recommended to the country's prosecutor's office to issue an indictment against Netanyahu based on evidence and documents against him in the third investigation case. The police had previously made similar recommendations in two other cases against Netanyahu; he has denied all three cases, which have not yet reached the stage of formal charges, claiming that his actions to defend Israel are unrelated to these cases.