IDF uncovers 2nd tunnel. Hizballah sends spies to steal a look, challenges Israel to cross the border
Five days into Israel’s operation to clear Hizballah’s cross-border tunnels, the silence from its headquarters in Beirut is turning out on Saturday, Dec. 8, to be a ploy for goading Israel into keeping going until it becomes necessary to take the operation across into Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah will then have his pretext for hitting back.
This stage is not yet at hand. Meanwhile, bad weather conditions ares laying a second layer of fog on a murky near-standoff, as outlined by DEBKAfile:
- The IDF operation is keeping going along the border from Metulah to Western Galilee. Soldiers are grouped in between the earth-moving trucks in areas where more tunnels have been marked out. None of them have crossed the border – as yet.
- On Saturday afternoon, three Hizballah agents, under cover of heavy mist, crept close up to the IDF digging squads in the Kadesh valley between Kibbutz Yiftah, Ramot Naftali and Kibbutz Malkia, They apparently came from the Lebanese village of Blaideh and were probably sent to find out if the Israeli troops had crossed the border and check their equipment. They vamoosed when the soldiers fired in the air. This incident tied in with the disappearance of two heavy machine guns sitting on a self-propelled gun facing a target in Lebanon. It is assumed that a second Hizballah squad, or some Lebanese intruder familiar with the ground, spotted the weapons unguarded outside and made off with them.
- On Saturday evening, the IDF spokesman revealed that a second tunnel had been unearthed, that the unit was in control of its full length and had booby-trapped it.
- Non-disclosure of this tunnel’s location was a step in the IDF’s move on Thursday to test UNIFIL Chief Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col. He was asked to inspect the South Lebanese villages for tunnels in keeping with his mission, with a view to destroying them jointly with the Lebanese army. IDF generals had no illusions that this tactic would work, but Israel’s policy-makers needed to show the Trump administration proof that the Lebanese army was not an independent entity but a tool of Hizballah.
- Del Col did in fact call on the Lebanese Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Aoun on Friday to request permission for UNIFIL monitors to enter suspect Lebanese villages with a Lebanese army escort. The next day, a Lebanese source claimed the tunnels were “old, deserted and half were in a state of collapse” and the IDF operation was trumped-up for political benefit. This line accorded with Hizballah propagandists’ efforts to play down the whole enterprise.
- All this presents Israel with a quandary: To refute the Lebanese claims and prove that Operation Northern Shield, and its huge intelligence, logistic and information investment, were justified by the scale of the threat, the IDF needs to transfer the operation to the Lebanese end for its final stage. Hizballah and the Lebanese army are already gearing up to make sure that this stage takes place under fire.
this is easy to prove the tunnel extended into Lebanon. Put high explosives on a robot, direct the robot to the end of the tunnel in Lebanon and blow it when it reaches the end, it will be obvious at that point that the tunnel originated in Lebanon and the whole world will know.
The IDF is finding Tunnels and will decide what to do and although many commentators have provided some suggestions. The key as I see it, just revealing them has been a blow to Hezbollah that can run away saying they re not there, can’t use them either, and has no say on how they will be destroyed and the IDF has all the say to what they plan, agree to, or do it the way they think best. It is an INF Victory Nonetheless with more Vigilance on all Israel Borders! As well as, a Hezbollah Embarrassing Colossal Failure and Mobilizing their Forces just show they are upset about their own mistakes?
I can wait the fate of the Tunnels on IDF Terms and Decisions. Don’t mind if other disagree either. Once again, Hezbollah chose using their Hands to create Tunnel Vision on Peace. While again proving their Heads cannot fathom a proper Opportunity to create Peace above the Ground for all the World to see and Believe in their Goals of Constructive Peace instead of Destructive Deceptions of Divisions?
The Lebanese government is on the brink of collapse, their country has something like the second-highest debt/GDP ratio on the planet, and they’re desperate for $10 billion in foreign aid which will evaporate if Hezbollah doesn’t back down on its latest challenges to the formation of a government.
Either you come from some parallel universe where Russia’s not a broken, jealous backwater of a “country”, or you’re injecting way too much krokodil.
Machine guns disappearance ???? what story is that???
stupid underpaid soldiers, left the heavy guns on jeep and moved away. hezballah came on bikes, cross the border and left with them… ha ha 1-0 for hezbalah
Typical davis nonsense
The real strategical problem Hamas has is in logistics because there is no U-Haul in Lebanon.
How will Nasrallah dismantle everything and move out back to Syria and Iraq?
Maybe, not him, but another younger guy from the bodyguards?
10 gallons of gasoline in shallow pans, . . . an electric fan blowing over the gasoline toward and thru the tunnels, . . . when the gasoline evaporates, . . . toss in a match and duck, . . .
This “old tunnels” story might take a while to fully develop, but when the time of bombardments over Beirut comes, pay a lot of attention to the cargo area in the port of Beirut.
They have there one of the largest grain silo in the world, and right now is filled up to the top. 120,000 metric tons of imports because they do not produce all all. Silos are known for high level explosion & fire risk, any stray bomb or stray missile from their defense system would multiply this level to almost certitude.
How is it possible to allow IDF machine guns to get stolen away by the enemy?
What the heck is going on ?
Till now I considered the IDF reliable and Hizzballah full of it But doubts begin to creep in. To many stories about the heroics of the army directed by the do nothing chief of stuffing and a talk talk Bibi
lebanon hezbollah will be sorted by isreal surprise may be those with them , reclaimed all in gods time this wk maybe . psalms 83 tyre v7+8 those praying v13-18 do it tonight,, god has it all under control even bibi fear not Isreal
Trump did not build one Tunnel nor did Netanyahu but their Political Opponents choose the songs they decide to sing in Political Spin Harmony but no one listening nor hearing and Obama Approach was Righteous but lacked reality as Iran slapped his Proposals away by not following them?
Israel can and will defend itself as will America. Good Lawyers will defend everyone else and it is not limited to Trump and Netanyahu but many that live under a Republic that Respects that Due Process is required to take away anyone’s Life, Liberty, and Property. Even the IDF won’t blow up the Tunnels in Lebanon until they become a National Security Defense Priority! Blowing up the Tunnels in Lebanon is not required since Hezbollah was so Dumb to build them in the First Place! America & Israel Smarts Always Beat Iran & Hezbollah Choosing To Remain Dumb!
Hahaha. One of Israel’s greatest assets is the absolute derangement suffered by its enemies. Netanyahu putsch against America? Lmao, you can’t make this stuff up.
70 million Americans voted for President Donald Trump, the first non-deep-state pick for President since Truman, the other true pro-Israel President. Israel haters are melting in agony about Trump, it’s just too funny.
The IDF don’t need to set one foot in Lebanon. Surely they only need to demolish the part that enters Israel and it doesn’t matter about the rest of the tunnel as it is effectively “neutered”.
The cat and mouse game being played by enemies of Israel will eventually lead to full scale invasion of enemy territory. The only medicine for this syndrome of kick knack enemy tricks is full scale invasion so that lessons are taught and learnt properly.
if israel backs down now, it looks silly again. R the generals gay? mind U; that is what the snake caused with Adam and Chaia and before that according to my understanding of some midrashim, there was incident with lamet vav lamet vav tav. so big lies and bad deads the snake did, that had to do with wasting of seed, as we say in Dutch; a flikkerstreek to tell them U will be as G’d. As little moustache/bad painter said (all mainly gay also); ‘a lie so big, people can’t imagine’. Let’s ask Haim Vital !
So if gay capital tel Aviv gets hit because of lousy scared gay generals, than perhaps that was meant to be. i told u so !
have some bitachon and emunah in IDF ! and stop the parades
I would never have said a thing about the tunnels. I would how ever mine the tunnels and place camera’s strategically to alert the Israeli’s when the Hezbollah are in the tunnel and headed for Israel and just blow it to kingdom come!
It is just that Bibi needed this to come out now in order to save him from whatever investigation is in the works against him. It appears that too many leaders of too many countries are using their positions for their own personal benefits when ever it suits them. However, Hezbollah has been caught with its pants down. Israel has known about these tunnels for some time and could have used this information secretly to its advantage.
However, it appears that this information was let out to show us how good a job Bibi has been doing so far.