Dangerous and almost impossible to destroy: Hezbollah’s tunnel system

Yesterday (Sunday), the IDF launched an artillery barrage in the Lebanese villages adjacent to the Finger of the Galilee – after the announcement of a closed military area in the area. According to an IDF spokesperson, IDF forces began a targeted ground operation against Hezbollah terrorist targets in the area near the border in southern Lebanon. Therefore, the questions are which tunnels does Hezbollah have? What are their goals?

What tunnels does Hezbollah’s array include?

The estimates in the “Liberation” publication, that Hezbollah’s tunnels are larger, deeper and more significant than those of Hamas, raised concerns in Israel. According to the French newspaper, Hizbullah’s work in southern Lebanon is done by hand with hammers or with hydraulic machines, quieter work that results from the geological characteristics. In this outline, according to estimates, we are talking about a progress of about 15 meters a month – today we are talking about hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, which reach as far as Syria. The newspaper quotes the Israeli Alma Research Institute, which estimated that Hezbollah’s defense network includes dozens of operational centers, which A network that includes local and interregional tunnels. These tunnels are about 40-80 meters deep.

According to the Alma Institute, since 2006, Hezbollah has placed emphasis on the development of a network of tunnels that connects – along tens of kilometers – the Beirut area (central headquarters) and the Bekaa (logistic operative hinterland) with southern Lebanon. These tunnels are apparently equipped with short-range Fatah 110 rockets made in Iran, and even ballistic missiles. In a report published by Alma a few months ago, explosive tunnels were mentioned, which are sealed on one side and are capable of collapsing a tunnel on its occupants, or causing landslides.

For the sake of comparison, the New York Times published in January that the State of Israel’s estimates from December, according to which the length of the Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip is 400 km, were incorrect. According to the same report, the length of the Hamas tunnels is approximately 720-560 km, With about 5,700 different shafts. All this, in a strip that is about 40 km long. On the other hand, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that has a state.

What are the goals of these tunnels?

“Hezbollah’s tunnels have three main objectives,” Dr. Nathaniel Palmer, a senior lecturer in the Middle East Studies department at Bar Ilan University, tells Globes. “Concealment – a way to stay away from Israeli intelligence; Survival – even if Israel is located then it will be difficult for them to reach; And charging an unbearable price – if Israel wants to go in and fight inside the tunnels, the price will be such that it prevents it from taking the step.”

How aware is Israel of the scope of the tunnels?

Israel has been aware for many years of the actual development of the tunnels, even if not of their scope. In December 2018, the IDF launched the “Northern Shield” operation, which lasted 41 days, in which six Hezbollah attack tunnels were neutralized. However, it is not impossible that this is only a part of those tunnels that cross the fence.

What are the differences between the tunnels in the Gaza Strip and those in Lebanon?

“The tunnels in Gaza are usually made through gravel, which can be defined as between sand and soft rock. In the north, it is mostly hard rock, especially in the more mountainous areas,” Dr. Amihai Mittelman from the Civil Engineering Department at Ariel University in Samaria tells Globes.

What are the implications in terms of the ability to neutralize the tunnels?

During the “Northern Shield” operation that began in 2018, the IDF poured thousands of cubic meters of concrete into the Hezbollah tunnels. This is a completely different method from the one in the Gaza Strip, where they are blown up using air force bombs, explosives or water is poured. All this, depending on the depth and structure of the tunnel.

Dr. Mitelman explains that in a rock as strong as exists in southern Lebanon, there is not a reasonable amount of explosive material that can blow up tunnels. The concrete plug cost a lot of money, but achieved the goal. If the goal is to neutralize the Hezbollah tunnels, then it’s better to close them – that’s how you know that with 100% certainty they are taken back a period of time.”

Is there a technological solution for monitoring the tunnels?

Dr. Mitelman points out that after Tzuk Eitan there were more than a hundred patents for monitoring on the table of the security system. There are some that are suitable for monitoring the movement of people, or space, but according to him there are technological limitations that affect false monitoring – especially along the route of the Lebanese territory. “The type of ground affects alerts false Geological material is not like manufactured material, for example concrete, plastic or steel – it is messy. Sometimes there is moisture, natural cavities, and suddenly there is a pocket of soil or gravel. Therefore, we receive a high amount of false signals, and there is no technology in the world that gives complete silence.”

Who trusts the Hezbollah tunnels?

Hezbollah’s elite unit, the Radwan Force, which has about 2,500 fighters, was built for years to take advantage of the element of surprise and take control of the Galilee settlements. However, the ones who surprised not only Israel, but also Hezbollah, were the Noh’ba force of Hamas, on October 7. If there had been a combined attack by Radwan and Nohba on October 7, one can only speculate on how much more complicated an event Israel would have been in.

What is the extent of Iranian and North Korean involvement?

First and foremost, Iran provides Hezbollah with money – and a lot of it: about 700 million dollars a year. At the same time, Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guards, under the command of Ismail Kaani, provides knowledge and advice in the field.

The North Korean angle was shed light at the Alma Institute in their report published on December 17. Experts from Pyongyang arrived over the years and contributed to Nasrallah and his people from the extensive knowledge they had gained from the network of tunnels they had established since the 1950s, with the expectation that in time the fighting against South Korea would resume.

Beyond that, the North Koreans are experienced in keeping means underground. While Hezbollah apparently stores ballistic missiles underground, the North Koreans place a nuclear arsenal there. Alma noted in their report that the combination of Iranian-North Korean arms was manifested, when fortification work was carried out by a North Korean company under the supervision of an Iranian officer from the Revolutionary Guards.

A North Korean company called KOMID – Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation helped build the “Land of Tunnels”. “The actual construction of the tunnels is carried out on the basis of construction jihad,” notes Dr. Palmer. “Within the tunnel warfare theory, Hezbollah applies what is known from other terrorist organizations. Connection to civilian houses and assimilation into them”.