[link removed]


** Lebanon: Massive 'Underground Combat Sites' ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

by Bassam Tawil • November 5, 2024 at 5:00 am
* "Hezbollah's model is the same as the North Korean model: tunnels in which hundreds of combatants, fully equipped, can pass stealthily and rapidly underground. In our opinion, Hezbollah's 'Land of the Tunnels' project is much larger than the Hamas 'metro' project in the Gaza Strip." — Alma Research and Education Center, July 2021.
* These tunnels facilitate the movement of heavy equipment, missiles and fighters, and even allow missiles to be launched from within.
* Built beneath the border between Lebanon and Syria, these tunnels allow Hezbollah's smuggling unit and the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force to transport ammunition, supplies and fighters under the border.
* Many of these tunnels are located beneath civilian infrastructure and populated areas, using civilians as human shields for their activities.
* Some of the houses in Lebanon were destroyed by Hezbollah's own rockets and explosives after they were targeted by the IDF. "The explosions are caused by Hezbollah's own weapons. In other words, Hezbollah's tunnels are being used to blow up Lebanon. Hezbollah is displacing, starving and robbing the Lebanese." — Mohammed Al-Obaid, Arab social media user, X, October 31, 2024.
* Hezbollah and Hamas bear full responsibility for the death of thousands of Lebanese, Palestinians and Israelis since the October 7, 2023 massacres in which Hamas murdered 1,200 Israelis. The two terrorist groups started the war, at the behest of their patrons in Iran, with the intention of killing a large number of Israelis and eliminating Israel. The vast network of tunnels they built in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip are an indication of the terrorist groups' determination to pursue their Jihad (holy war) against Israel, notwithstanding the risks to the Lebanese and Palestinian people living under their rule.
* Even if Hezbollah says they will withdraw to north of the Litani River, its tunnels enable it easily to violate that pledge, with no one above ground the wiser. Hezbollah, moreover, never abided by UNSC Resolution 1701 to stop building tunnels and stockpiling weapons in south Lebanon.
* The current war in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip must not end without the destruction of all the tunnels and the total defeat of Hezbollah and Hamas. Those who are pushing for an immediate ceasefire are only empowering Iran and its terror proxies, paving the way for another October 7-style massacre. The defeat of Hezbollah and Hamas will benefit not only the Israelis, but the Lebanese and Palestinian[DEL: s :DEL] , as well.

Hezbollah's tunnels in Lebanon facilitate the movement of heavy equipment, missiles and fighters, and some even allow missiles to be launched from within. Many of the tunnels are located beneath civilian infrastructure and populated areas, using civilians as human shields for Hezbollah activities. Pictured: Israeli soldiers at a shaft leading into a Hezbollah tunnel near Naqoura, Lebanon, on October 13, 2024. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, as part of its preparations for war with Israel, spent the past 15 years building a vast network of tunnels in Lebanon. Some of the tunnels were supposed to be used for invading Israel to carry out atrocities against Israelis like the ones committed by Hamas, another Iran terror proxy, on October 7, 2023.

At a time when Lebanon faced a severe financial situation, Hezbollah invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the construction of the tunnels. Reuters reported in 2022:

"Lebanon is grappling with a deep economic crisis after successive governments piled up debt following the 1975-1990 civil war with little to show for their spending binge.

Continue Reading Article ([link removed])

============================================================
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** RSS ([link removed])
** Donate ([link removed])
Copyright © Gatestone Institute, All rights reserved.

You are subscribed to this list as [email protected]

You can change how you receive these emails:
** Update your subscription preferences ([link removed])
or ** Unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])

** Gatestone Institute ([link removed])

14 East 60 St., Suite 705, New York, NY 10022