UNIFIL, Lebanese forces uncover 164-foot Hezbollah tunnel packed with explosives in southern Lebanon

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Wednesday uncovered two Hezbollah military tunnels in different parts of southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese sources.

The statement from UNIFIL, a peacekeeping operation commissioned by the United Nations, reported that “several unexploded ordnances” were also found in the area of the tunnels.

“In line with resolution 1701, the findings were handed over to the LAF,” a UNIFIL spokesperson stated.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 as part of the UN-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, called for Hezbollah’s disarmament and for no other armed forces but the LAF and UNIFIL to occupy the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line.

“UNIFIL continues to patrol, monitor and work with the LAF to help bring back stability and security to the area of operations,” the UNIFIL statement read.

The UN peacekeeping force gave no further details on the tunnel’s origin or the explosives found, though a UN statement last week said the cache included “rocket launchers, rocket shells, mortar rounds, bomb fuses and a tunnel containing munitions.”

The Lebanese–Israeli conflict (Second Lebanon War) began on July 12, 2006, when Hezbollah militants carried out a cross-border raid into Israel, sparking a rapid escalation of hostilities. What started as a localized clash quickly developed into a 34-day war, with Israel launching extensive air and ground operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah responding with widespread rocket attacks on northern Israel. The fighting caused heavy damage on both sides, displaced large civilian populations, and drew in international mediation efforts that eventually produced a UN-brokered ceasefire on Aug. 14, 2006.