A HEZBOLLAH terror tunnel has been found under the gaze of the UN’s watchtower that sits a mere few yards away.
Within viewpoint from the tower, a rusty metal trapdoor sits visible on the rocky ground – opening to reveal a Hezbollah attack position entrance.
X/@Doron_KadoshThe tunnel appears to be visible from the UN watchtower[/caption]
ReutersThe tunnel is in southern Lebanon’s Naqoura region near the border with Israel[/caption]
X/@Doron_KadoshA mere few yards from the discovered tunnel is a UN watchtower[/caption]
X/@Doron_KadoshThe tunnel was discovered during an IDF operation[/caption]
The Israeli military believe the terror tunnels would have taken years to build – all under the eyes of the UN watchtower.
And it’s even claim the site is where Hezbollah was responsible for firing anti-tank missiles at civilians across the border for the past year.
Some visitors of the tunnel have claimed it seems “incomprehensible” that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) didn’t know about the tunnel that appears to be visible from the buildings windows.
And due to the ground being solid rock, the Israeli military believe equipment would have had to be used to dig such a tunnel.
IDF General Yiftach Norkin told the Telegraph: “To build a tunnel like this you need a lot of equipment.
“You can’t hide it. It’s very odd to us that the UN didn’t see these activities.”
The two tunnels are a mere 10 metres apart and are said to have served two different purposes to Hezbollah, the IDF claims.
One was used as a terror observation post – littered with cameras used to slyly collect intelligence on Israeli villages across the border.
While the other was to launch brutal anti-tank missiles at Israeli villages – until the Israeli army invaded the south-west of Lebanon last week.
But inside the tunnels IDF soldiers found explosive devices, boots and helmets among other various equipment – which the army believes were to be used to invade the Israeli border, the Telegraph reports.
General Norkin claims the army is coordinating with UN troops who are still in the watchtower.
He added: “I want to emphasise that the UN isn’t our enemy. Sometimes we make mistakes and we investigate the incidents.”
But the UN later said in a statement that two Israeli tanks had broken through the UN base gates.
In response, the Israeli military released a statement to say a Merkava tank had been attempting to evacuate injured soldiers and accidentally backed into the UNIFIL post.
It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded peacekeepers evacuate from Lebanon’s “danger zone”.
Directly addressing the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu warned: “Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.
“Mr Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
AFPA picture from 2019 during a tour with the Israeli army shows the interior of a tunnel at the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon in northern Israel[/caption]
AlamyAn Israeli soldier stands inside a Hezbollah tunnel on the border between Israel and Lebanon in northern Israel in 2019.[/caption]
AFPIsraeli soldiers have been effective on the years in finding Hezbollah tunnels[/caption]
UNIFIL has refused these requests so far.
Nearly 10,000 peacekeepers from around 50 countries are station in Lebanon.
Since 1978 they have patrolled the area between the Litani River and the boundary between Lebanon and Israel dubbed the “Blue Line”.
The Blue Line is the de facto border between Israel, Lebanon and Golan Heights.
Israel has asked UNIFIL in the past to withdraw north by 5km.
It comes as four Israeli soldiers have been killed in a Hezbollah drone strike on an army base.
Sergeant Omri Tamari, Sergeant Yosef Hieb, Sergeant Yoav Agmon and Sergeant Alon Amitay, all 19, died in the attack near Binyamina in central Israel.
Hezbollah said it had targeted a base belonging to the IDF’s Golani Brigade with a “swarm of drones“.
It is the deadliest strike by the terror group since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago.
Israel’s military said 61 were wounded – with seven severely injured.
The drone strike hit shortly before 7pm on Sunday, hitting a packed dining hall inside the base, according to local reports.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “The IDF has full operational control over the incident.
“We will investigate how a UAV can breach without warning and hit a base.
“We are required to provide better protection. We will investigate this incident, learn from it and improve.”
Hezbollah said the attack was retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut last Thursday that left 22 people dead.
RexThe Golani Brigade continues to conduct limited, localized, targeted raids in southern Lebanon[/caption]
RexDuring these operations soldiers have located weapons storage facilities and operational tunnel shafts, eliminated terrorists, and conducted raids[/caption]