LABBOUNEH, Lebanon—On a forested mountainside near the border between Israel and Lebanon, two tunnel shafts descend dozens of feet into the rocky earth.
Around 300 feet away, the blue United Nations flag waved atop a peacekeeping observation post.
The Israeli military took a group of reporters into Lebanon on Sunday to see the shafts, which it said were among hundreds of tunnel entrances and underground bunkers used by Hezbollah militants to store weapons and hide fighters west of the Lebanese village of Labbouneh.
Israel has faced criticism from the U.N. and European capitals for injuries to peacekeepers as Israeli forces engage in a ground offensive against Hezbollah. U.N. personnel have been wounded and compounds have been damaged, according to the U.N.
Israeli officers said the presence of the tunnels was evidence that Hezbollah had built military infrastructure around U.N. and civilian settlements, using them as cover. They also said that the U.N. peacekeepers, who are supposed to monitor and prevent militant activities along the border, weren’t doing their job.
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Around 300 feet away, the blue United Nations flag waved atop a peacekeeping observation post.
The Israeli military took a group of reporters into Lebanon on Sunday to see the shafts, which it said were among hundreds of tunnel entrances and underground bunkers used by Hezbollah militants to store weapons and hide fighters west of the Lebanese village of Labbouneh.
Israel has faced criticism from the U.N. and European capitals for injuries to peacekeepers as Israeli forces engage in a ground offensive against Hezbollah. U.N. personnel have been wounded and compounds have been damaged, according to the U.N.
Israeli officers said the presence of the tunnels was evidence that Hezbollah had built military infrastructure around U.N. and civilian settlements, using them as cover. They also said that the U.N. peacekeepers, who are supposed to monitor and prevent militant activities along the border, weren’t doing their job.
More
