BICOM

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has discovered another tunnel dug by Hezbollah under the border with Israel.

It’s the fourth tunnel found since the IDF announced Operation Northern Shield, the military operation aiming to find and neutralise Hezbollah tunnels. “The route, just like the other routes [tunnels], is booby-trapped by the IDF and anyone who enters it on the Lebanese side endangers his life,” the IDF said in a tweet.

Although the tunnel did not pose an imminent threat to Israel’s security, the IDF said, it is “another blatant breach of UN Resolution 1701 and of Israeli sovereignty”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Operation Northern Shield is “progressing according to plan, and will continue to proceed until all of its objectives are met”.

The head of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col, met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on what he described as a “serious” matter. He said that “UNIFIL will make every effort to maintain clear and credible channels of communication with both sides so that there is no room for misunderstanding”.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin visited the Lebanese border over the weekend and said the IDF is ready to take any measures necessary to defend the State of Israel. “Hezbollah, which presents itself as the ‘defender of Lebanon,’ will ultimately lead to its destruction,” he warned.

Last week, President Aoun said he was taking the tunnels issue seriously and is “ready to remove the causes of the dispute, but after we obtain a final report and we set out the matters that need to be dealt with”. Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said the Lebanese army was awaiting a UN report on the matter.

Israeli media report that senior security officials believe Hezbollah is not prepared to open up a new front with Israel as long as it has substantial numbers of fighters deployed in Syria. Several commentators warned that a volatile situation has been created and the chances of a mistake, misunderstanding or the actions of a lone Lebanese soldier or officer on the ground increase the chances of an incident occurring on the border.