World
Hezbollah relies on 'sophisticated' tunnel system backed by Iran, North Korea in fight against Israel
![Hezbollah relies on 'sophisticated' tunnel system backed by Iran, North Korea in fight against Israel Hezbollah relies on 'sophisticated' tunnel system backed by Iran, North Korea in fight against Israel](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/Leb-hez-tun.jpg)
Despite Israel’s nearly one-year-long war with Hamas in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks, security experts continue to sound the alarm that Jerusalem’s greatest threat actually lies to the north in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has developed a sophisticated tunnel system.
Hezbollah, an Islamic terrorist organization that has long had the backing of Iran, has over the last two decades developed a network of tunnels that stretch more than 100 miles in cumulative length throughout southern Lebanon.
Though the existence of the tunnels has been known for decades, the significant role they play in arming Hezbollah has once again come to light during the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, where terrorists have not only relied on tunnels for operational rearmament and maneuvering capabilities but also to house hostages taken by Hamas nearly a year ago.
While it is estimated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have eradicated roughly 80% of Hamas’ tunnels, Hezbollah’s tunnels, which have largely remained untouched since the war in Gaza began, are believed to be far more sophisticated and “significantly larger,” according to a report by the Alma Research and Education Center, a nonprofit organization that researches Israeli security challenges along its northern border.
NETANYAHU HITS BACK OVER GLOBAL PRESSURE TO MAKE CEASE-FIRE CONCESSIONS, SAYS DEMANDS ARE ‘IMMORAL’, ‘INSANE’
A guided tour by the Israeli army on June 3, 2019, shows the interior of a tunnel under the Lebanese-Israeli border. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah is believed to have begun mining its tunnels after the Second Lebanon War in 2006 in close coordination between Iran and North Korea after Tehran reportedly derived “inspiration” from Pyongyang and the tunnels that it developed in the aftermath of the Korean War.
Iran deemed North Korea a “professional authority on the subject of tunneling” due to its experience in digging tunnels for military use when it attempted to drill tunnels across the Korean Demilitarized Zone in an attempt to militarily invade areas just north of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
While the tunnels and their intended use were never realized by the authoritarian nation, two of the four neutralized tunnels uncovered were reportedly capable of accommodating up to 30,000 troops per hour along with armaments like armored personnel carriers, tanks and field artillery – an operational blueprint Hezbollah has turned to in its fight against Israel.
The report found that Hezbollah under the advisership of North Korea – a relationship that may have begun as far back as the 1980s – built two types of tunnels across southern Lebanon, “offensive tunnels and infrastructure tunnels.”
![Hezbollah North Korea](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/Leb-NK.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
This image provided on Friday shows the comparison between tunnels dug by North Korea and Hezbollah. (Alma Research and Education Center)
The offensive tunnels were intended for similar operational use as North Korea’s, and at least six tunnels were discovered by IDF forces that led into Israeli territory during Operation Northern Shield, which began in December 2018.
Alma’s research found that some of Hezbollah’s tunnels are also capable of transporting ATVs, motorcycles and other “small vehicles,” though it did not specify the number of terrorists that they could accommodate.
The tunnels are equipped with “underground command and control rooms, weapons and supply depots, field clinics and specified designated shafts used to fire missiles of all types,” the report said, noting that arms like rockets, surface-to-surface missiles, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles can be fired from “shafts” in the tunnels. “These shafts are hidden and camouflaged and cannot be detected above ground.”
DOJ CHARGES HAMAS LEADERS OVER ‘TERRORIST ATROCITIES’ IN OCT 7 ISRAEL ATTACK
The tunnels are believed to connect the capital of Beirut, where Hezbollah’s central headquarters is located and its logistical base in the Beqaa Valley near the Syrian border, to southern Lebanon.
![Hezbollah Lebanon](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/leb-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
This image provided on Friday lays out the areas where Hezbollah has infiltrated in Lebanon. (Alma Research and Education Center)
“We call this inter-regional tunnel network ‘Hezbollah’s Land of the Tunnels,’” the Alma report first released in 2021 detailed, noting the tunnel system is more akin to a “metro” of tunnels rather than one long tunnel.
The second series of tunnels Hezbollah mined, known as the infrastructure tunnels, form an underground network in and near southern Lebanese villages that establishes the first and second “lines of defense” against an Israeli invasion – a project of “enormous magnitude,” according to the Alma report.
One such tunnel is estimated to be nearly 28 miles long, prompting the question as to how the terrorist organization was able to get away with building such a sophisticated system without opposition from the Lebanese government.
![Hezbollah fighters](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/Hezbollah-fighters-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Hezbollah terrorists take part in a training exercise in Aaramta village in southern Lebanon in May 2023. (AP/Hassan Ammar)
“Hezbollah does try to keep the locations, routes, internal structure, etc., of these tunnels a secret. [It] does this by expropriating territories, by preventing civilians from entering into certain areas and by taking advantage of [its] presence and influence in the government,” Boaz Shapira, a researcher with Alma, told Fox News Digital.
Shapira said Hezbollah not only has the support of roughly 40%-50% of the Lebanese population, it is “much better funded, organized, trained and armed” than the Lebanese government, army, police or even the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which has a force of some 10,500 peacekeeping troops in Lebanon and that were put in place after the 2006 war.
![Lebanon Hezbollah Prayer Controversy](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/03/Lebanon-Hezbollah-Prayer-Controversy.gif)
Spanish U.N. peacekeepers stand on a hill overlooking the Lebanese border with Israel on Jan. 10, 2024.
Hezbollah’s cooperation with authoritarian nations like Iran and North Korea has long made it a major threat to Israel.
But its growing power within Lebanon has moved it to the top of the list when it comes to Israeli security threats, according to not only Shapira but also former IDF Major Gen. Yaakov Amidror.
“Lebanon’s government is too weak to counter Hezbollah,” Amidror told Fox News Digital. “Everything important is decided by Hezbollah, not by the government.”
HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES KILLED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES AS TERROR GROUP FIRES 100 ROCKETS AT JEWISH STATE
Hezbollah is believed to have as many as 50,000 terrorists and, according to Shapira, its sphere of influence has extended to nearly every branch of Lebanon’s security apparatus.
“Taking action against Hezbollah would be perceived as cooperation with Israel and basically as treason in Lebanon, and in the past year also against the Palestinians,” he said. “That means that no one in the army has any incentive for challenging Hezbollah.”
![Terrorists from Hezbollah train in Lebannon](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/Hezbollah-fighters-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Hezbollah terror forces train in southern Lebanon close to the Israeli border. (AP/Hassan Ammar/File)
Shapira said demographics inside the once predominately Christian nation have shifted over the last several decades, and it now has a majority Muslim population – though the U.S. State Department analyzes the breakdown in Muslim populations in Lebanon as nearly equally divided between Shiite and Sunni groups.
“This trend is happening in the army as well. That means that almost every Shiite soldier in the army has a brother, cousin, friend that is a Hezbollah terrorist,” Shapira said.
Amidror, a distinguished fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America after serving as Israel’s former national security adviser to the prime minister and a 36-year veteran of the IDF, told Fox News Digital he believes Israel needs to take a proactive approach when it comes to countering Hezbollah.
![Hezbollah Israel](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/hezbollah.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Hezbollah fighters form a human barrier during the funeral procession for top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Aug. 1, 2024. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“We should initiate the war against Hezbollah,” he said, noting that the timing of its operation is the main variable that needs to be determined.
“It will not be an easy job. It will be a very, very devastating war for us and for Lebanon,” the retired major general said. “Remember that at least 50% of their missiles had been hidden within populated areas.
“The casualties will be huge, [a] devastating war for us and for them,” Amidror continued. “This is why it is so problematic to fight these organizations, because they are fighting from within their own population, [and their] targets are the Israeli population.
“When you fight from within civilians and your targets are civilians, it’s very complicated to fight it,” he added.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
World
Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s Wife and E Street Bandmate, Reveals Blood Cancer Diagnosis
![Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s Wife and E Street Bandmate, Reveals Blood Cancer Diagnosis Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s Wife and E Street Bandmate, Reveals Blood Cancer Diagnosis](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1908171507-e1725857096985.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1)
Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen‘s wife and E Street bandmate, has revealed she was diagnosed in 2018 with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.
Scialfa addressed her diagnosis in the new documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” which premiered on Sunday night at the Toronto Film Festival. In the film, a contemplative look at the rock legend and his tight-knit group of collaborators, she shared that her illness has made it difficult for her to perform. As a result, she’s taken a step back from touring.
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said in the film. “Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”
Scialfa didn’t attend Sunday’s premiere. The 71-year-old has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984 and married Springsteen in 1991. Scialfa was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014. In “Road Diary,” she says that performing on stage with her husband offers the audience “a side of our relationship that you usually don’t get to see.”
Springsteen, too, has faced health issues and postponed his tour in 2023 after he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease. Earlier this year, he rescheduled some shows under “doctor’s direction” as the singer continued to suffer “vocal issues.”
“Road Diary” features footage from Springsteen’s latest world tour and an intimate look at the backstage planning. The film also served as a meditation on morality. However, the 74-year-old Springsteen emphasized at the TIFF premiere that he doesn’t plan to retire any time soon. He wants to keep performing until “the wheels come off.”
World
Von der Leyen's big reveal, Newsletter
![Von der Leyen's big reveal, Newsletter Von der Leyen's big reveal, Newsletter](https://static.euronews.com/articles/stories/08/71/57/06/1200x675_cmsv2_2719a130-fba9-514e-9765-c6772abdb63c-8715706.jpg)
This week’s key events presented by Euronews’ editor in chief for EU policy, Jeremy Fleming-Jones.
Key diary dates
-
Monday 9 September: Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to present his findings on competitiveness.
-
Tuesday 10 September: European Court of Justice to deliver judgments in two landmark appeals: an antitrust case related to Google and a state aid case related to taxation of Apple.
-
Wednesday 11 September: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to meet with European Parliament’s conference of presidents, expected to apportion commission portfolios.
-
Wednesday 11 September: Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič expected to unveil State of the Energy Union report.
In spotlight
The mist should rise over speculation surrounding which Commission nominee gets which job since Ursula von der Leyen is expected to reveal her portfolios on Wednesday.
A table circulated last week by members of von der Leyen’s own centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) – and revealed by Euronews – suggested the centre-right group will sweep up many of the most sought-after policies in the EU executive – including roles eyed by socialists.
The leak confirmed previous reports that three executive vice presidencies will go to France, Italy, and Spain. The document suggested Spain’s Teresa Ribera would be handed the digital green transition as a portfolio. A subsequent Financial Times report has touted Ribera to replace Margrethe Vestager as Europe’s chief competition enforcer, a job also mooted for Austria’s Magnus Brunner, in order to keep the climate portfolio within the EPP fold.
France’s Thierry Breton is expected to be handed responsibility for Industry and Strategic Autonomy, while Italy’s Raffaele Fitto gets Economy and Post-Pandemic Recovery.
Von der Leyen has already made clear that she will only appoint executive vice presidents in her new executive, clearing away a handful of other vice-presidential roles that exist within the current commission structure.
Any EVP role offered to Raffaele Fitto will be closely scrutinised by the European Parliament, since the right-wing faction that he represents did not support von der Leyen’s presidential bid.
But a good starting point will be to check the roles of those commissioners who fall under any EVP purview he is offered.
For example, if he were to receive a remit for the economy and post-pandemic recovery, it’s possible that other commissioners with more direct responsibility for financial services and cohesion funds might wield more power.
If von der Leyen unveils her chosen configuration this week then attention will immediately turn to the Parliamentary confirmation hearings.
Last week’s leaked document suggested Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s pick, incumbent Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, is likely to be rejected and could be replaced by another of Orbán’s favourites, Fidesz MEP Enikő Győri.
Policy newsmakers
Gender rebalance
Slovenia’s Tomaž Vesel last week withdrew his bid to join Ursula von der Leyen’s team of European Commissioners, after the Slovenian government came under pressure to nominate a female candidate, according to Slovenian press agency STA. Former MEP and current foreign minister Tanja Fajon is reported to be in the running as a replacement nominee. Romania had previously switched out its original commission nominee, Victor Negrescu, for current MEP and former minister for European funds Roxana Mînzatu, as von der Leyen seeks to ensure greater gender balance among her top officials.
Policy Poll
Data brief
World
Pope arrives in deeply Catholic East Timor to encourage its recovery from bloody independence
DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis arrived in East Timor on Monday to encourage its recovery from a bloody and traumatic past and celebrate its development after two decades of independence from Indonesian rule.
Francis arrived in Dili from Papua New Guinea to open the third leg of his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania. He’ll meet with Timorese leaders and diplomats later Monday.
The overwhelmingly Catholic East Timor, one of the world’s poorest countries, eagerly awaited Francis’ arrival, which came on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the U.N.-backed referendum that paved the way for independence from Indonesia.
“Our great hope is that he may come to consolidate the fraternity, the national unity, peace and development for this new country,” said Estevão Tei Fernandes, a university professor.
It was a far different atmosphere than when the last pope visited. St. John Paul II came in 1989, when Timor was still an occupied part of Indonesia and fighting for its freedom. As many as 200,000 people were killed during the 24 years of Indonesian rule.
Francis will confront that legacy, and another one more close to home involving Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, the Timorese bishop who, along with the Catholic Church as a whole, is regarded as a hero for his efforts to win independence.
Belo won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 with fellow East Timorese independence icon José Ramos-Horta, today the country’s president, for campaigning for a fair and peaceful solution to the conflict.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in its citation, praised Belo’s courage in refusing to be intimidated by Indonesian forces. The committee noted that while trying to get the United Nations to arrange a plebiscite for East Timor, he smuggled out two witnesses to a bloody 1991 massacre so they could testify to the U.N. human rights commission in Geneva.
In 2022, the Vatican acknowledged that it had secretly sanctioned Belo in 2020 for sexually abusing young boys. The sanctions included limitations on his movements and exercise of ministry and prohibited him from having voluntary contact with minors or contact with East Timor itself. The sanctions were reinforced in 2021.
Despite the sanctions, which were confirmed at the time by the Vatican spokesman and reaffirmed last week ahead of Francis’ trip, many people in East Timor have stood by Belo, either dismissing, denying or diminishing the victims’ claims. Some even hoped Belo, who lives in Portugal, would be on hand to welcome Francis.
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week ago
Brussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
World1 week ago
Locals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week ago
Taiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
Politics1 week ago
'For election purposes': Critics balk at Harris' claim she will 'enforce our laws' at southern border
-
World7 days ago
Seven EU members hadn’t received any post-Covid funding by end-2023
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
‘September 5’ Review: Peter Sarsgaard Stars in a Gripping Newsroom Thriller About the 1972 Munich Terrorist Attacks
-
World4 days ago
Meloni says 'we are making history' as Italy’s FDI reviews progress