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Lebanon Urges International Probe Into Deadly Golan Strike

Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
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Lebanon Urges International Probe Into Deadly Golan Strike

Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)

Lebanon on Sunday called for an international investigation into a strike that killed 12 people including children on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, warning against a large-scale retaliation.

The Israeli military said that an Iranian-made rocket that Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group fired on Saturday hit a football field in Majdal Shams, a Druze Arab town, killing children and teenagers who were playing there.

Hezbollah, which claimed multiple attacks on Israeli military positions during the day, has denied it was behind the Majdal Shams strike, saying it had "no connection" to the incident.

In a statement on X, Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib urged for an "international investigation or a meeting of the tripartite committee held through UNIFIL to know the truth" about who was responsible for the attack, AFP reported.

The tripartite committee refers to military officials from Lebanon and Israel, which are technically at war, together with peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

He insisted the Lebanese group targets "only military" positions and ruled out them carrying out an intentional attack on civilians in Majdal Shams.

The statement, carried by the state-run National News Agency, said that Bou Habib also "called for the complete and comprehensive application" of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

The resolution ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and called for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed in south Lebanon.

"A large attack by Israel on Lebanon will lead to a deterioration of the regional situation and will spark regional war," Bou Habib warned, according to the statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday vowed to "hit the enemy hard" following the Majdal Shams strike, while Iran warned Israel that any new military "adventures" in Lebanon could lead to "unforeseen consequences".

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Lebanon’s Rocky Terrain Makes Tunnel Digging Easy for Hezbollah

Entrance to a border tunnel destroyed by the Israeli army at the Lebanon border in 2019 (AFP)
Entrance to a border tunnel destroyed by the Israeli army at the Lebanon border in 2019 (AFP)
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Lebanon’s Rocky Terrain Makes Tunnel Digging Easy for Hezbollah

Entrance to a border tunnel destroyed by the Israeli army at the Lebanon border in 2019 (AFP)
Entrance to a border tunnel destroyed by the Israeli army at the Lebanon border in 2019 (AFP)

Hezbollah is using Lebanon’s rocky landscape to dig tunnels in mountains and valleys, aiming to hide from Israeli airstrikes and launch attacks from what are considered safe areas.

Due to limited details on how these tunnels are built or their specific purposes, experts believe Hezbollah uses this method as an alternative to open combat under Israeli aircraft.

Retired Brig. Gen. Fadi Daoud told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah’s tunnel strategy forces Israel into difficult underground warfare, a challenging type of combat in military terms.

Daoud explained that tunnel networks “take away key advantages from the enemy.”

“Even though the Israeli military has a powerful air force for reconnaissance and airstrikes, tunnels prevent them from seeing targets. This has reduced the effectiveness of the air force and limits its ability to maneuver,” said Daoud.

He also noted that the Israeli military is prepared for tunnel warfare, with weapons like the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, sponge bombs, and Bunker Buster bombs, which can destroy tunnels up to 60 meters deep. However, using these weapons depends on the situation.

Regarding Hezbollah’s tunnel network, Daoud mentioned that while there isn’t exact information, it is believed that the area from the border to seven kilometers inside Lebanon is likely covered by an underground tunnel system.

This is why Israel wants Hezbollah pushed beyond the Litani River, as it thinks there are no tunnels beyond that point. However, Daoud emphasized that these are only estimates, and no one has confirmed information.

Israeli studies suggest that Hezbollah has built a complex underground tunnel network in Lebanon, stretching for several kilometers.

These reports highlight how Hezbollah benefits from Lebanon’s natural landscape, which makes tunneling easier. Modern tunneling equipment is expensive and not widely available, even to the Lebanese government, with some tunnels taking years to complete.

Dr. Tony Nemer, a geology and seismology expert at the American University of Beirut, explained that Lebanon's rocks are mainly limestone.

When exposed to water containing carbon dioxide, the rocks form carbonic acid, which can hollow out the limestone. This natural process has led to the formation of many caves in Lebanon.

Nemer pointed out that the karstic nature of these rocks makes digging tunnels easier.

He noted that while most of Lebanon’s rocks are limestone, there are also some sandy and volcanic rocks, but these make up only 15%-20% of the country’s terrain.