IDF destroys tunnel crossing into Israeli territory amid focus on Hezbollah tunnel system

The IDF announced Tuesday evening that it had detected and destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel crossing over into Israeli territory. 

The announcement marks the first time since the end of Operation Northern Shield (2019) that the IDF detected a tunnel penetrating Israel. 

The tunnel was discovered several months ago; however, the military chose to publicize its existence only after its forces began operating in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said that while the tunnel itself crossed into Israeli territory, it did not have an exit on the Israeli side. The military emphasized that at no time were Israeli towns or civilians in danger from the tunnel.

The total length of the tunnel route is about 20 meters (65 feet), with the entrance on the Lebanese side of the border near the village of Marwahin. 

Construction on the tunnel began about two years ago, and its presence was quickly discovered by the IDF, which continued to monitor its construction.

Only after the start of limited ground operations in southern Lebanon several months ago, did the IDF enter the tunnel, finding weapons and explosives. 

After the start of the larger-scale ground operations last week, the IDF destroyed the tunnel. 

Lebanon: The IDF deployed a fourth division—the 146th Reservist Division—to southwestern Lebanon on October 8 for “focused and delimited" ground operations against Hezbollah.

The IDF destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel that crossed the Israel-Lebanon border on October 8. (1/3) https://t.co/uHuFiWDsCB pic.twitter.com/8KUawHlqYx

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) October 9, 2024

The Israeli military also said it had destroyed at least 110 Hezbollah targets throughout southern Lebanon, killing at least 50 Hezbollah members, as well as destroying significant amounts of infrastructure belonging to the terror group.

With IDF troops operating in Lebanese territory, the military has begun to focus on Hezbollah’s “terror tunnels.”

Similar to the situation in Gaza, Hezbollah constructed these tunnels to store weapons and equipment near the Israeli border while staying protected from Israeli surveillance and fire.

Following the end of the Second Lebanon War (2006), Hezbollah began constructing a massive tunnel network to link different portions of the country. This tunnel network consists of various types of tunnels, each serving a distinct purpose. Tactical tunnels enable terrorists to fight from underground, emerging quickly to engage the IDF before disappearing again. 

There are also “proximate tunnels,” designed to allow rapid and safe access to the border area as part of a plan to invade the Galilee. 

Additionally, there are explosive tunnels. These are tunnels filled with explosives, to be activated by Hezbollah in the event of an IDF invasion of southern Lebanon. They are designed to cause losses and create confusion among the IDF soldiers to prevent forward movement. 

Hezbollah has also constructed at least one network of smuggling tunnels under the Lebanon-Syria border to aid the entry of weapons into the country. 

This smuggling tunnel, in the northeast part of the country, was built to avoid Israeli Air Force strikes in Syria intended to disrupt Iranian weapons transfers to Hezbollah. 

Last week, the IAF also struck this smuggling tunnel network, built by Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which supervises the smuggling of weapons into Lebanon. 

The Alma Research and Education Center said this tunnel was about 3 km (roughly 2 miles) long and was used to transfer weapons from Iranian groups in Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

According to reports in Israeli media, on Tuesday night, the IDF eliminated a senior Hezbollah operative who belonged to Unit 4400.

Last week, Israel killed Muhammad Ja’far Qasir, the commander of Unit 4400, in a targeted strike in Beirut. Qasir had held this position for approximately 15 years and was responsible for facilitating the transfer and transportation of funds and weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.