Israel Defense Forces Launches Operation To Destroy Hizbullah Cross-border Terror Tunnels

The Israel Defense Forces has launched Operation Northern Shield to uncover and destroy cross-border attack tunnels built by Iranian proxy Hizbullah. “The digging of tunnels constitutes a blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty,” military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis asserted in reference to the subterranean structures that originate in Lebanon and extend into the Jewish state. He noted that the operation will take place uniquely on the Israeli side of the shared border, but that the IDF nevertheless has beefed up its troop presence in the region in the eventuality that clashes erupt. Manelis also stressed that Jerusalem holds Beirut responsible for all hostilities originating from its soil, and that the existence of such attack tunnels proves its inability to curb Hizbullah’s militarization of the country’s south which according to United Nations resolution 1701 is meant to be an arms-free buffer zone. Analysts predict that in the next round of conflict Hizbullah operatives will attempt to infiltrate Israel using the underground passageways with a view to attacking or possibly even capturing northern communities. In fact, Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah repeatedly has threatened to occupy the Galilee region in a future war, although the prospect of a major ground invasion is deemed unlikely due to defensive measures implemented by Israel along the frontier.