(UWI)
Hezbollah terror tunnel

United with Israel was among those invited by the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs for a briefing in the North, including a visit to a Hezbollah tunnel that was uncovered in December 2018 by the IDF.

By David Aghiarian, Portuguese Desk, United with Israel

Last week, United with Israel joined Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, together with other organizations and top social media influencers, on a visit to one of the six Hezbollah terror tunnels discovered and neutralized by IDF forces between 2018 and 2019.

After discussing various security measures, an IDF colonel took the visitors – Israeli members of Digitell, a group of social media influencers and organization representatives hand-picked by the Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs – to a tunnel that was exposed by the Israeli forces during operation “Northern Shield.” This tunnel, the deepest of them all, crossed the border between Lebanon and Israel and was discovered just meters away from Zarit, a peaceful Israeli farming community.

With approximately 200 residents, Zarit faces daily threats from Hezbollah. For years, they have been living in fear, knowing that just meters away, a terror organization plans to kill them all.

As explained by the IDF host, Hezbollah’s terror agenda poses a severe threat to Israel’s northern communities. With the help of thousands of well-trained terrorist soldiers, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had planned to use this secret assault weapon to take Israeli forces by surprise and conquer vast areas of the Galilee region within days.

Funded by the Iranian regime, Hezbollah invested more than 10 million dollars in this particular tunnel. It spreads over 780 meters, from the south of Lebanon to the doorstep of Israeli civilians, and at its deepest point reaches 269 feet below ground.

“We estimate that it took Hezbollah several years to dig this tunnel through the rocky soil. The infrastructure is impressive, with water, electricity, and a ventilation system. There is also a conveyor belt used to remove the excavation waste,” said the IDF colonel.

Also seen on the tunnel walls were verses from the Quran in Arabic to encourage the terrorists responsible for the excavation. Their names were also engraved on the walls with dates and professional engineering markings.

United with Israel

Hezbollah’s assault tunnel constitutes a violation of both Israeli sovereignty and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1701 and 1559.

After exposing and neutralizing the terror tunnel, Israeli soldiers understood that there was no better way to mark this victory against Hezbollah than through affixing a mezuzah on its door. What was once the terror gateway to Israel is now protected by prayer.

The mezuzah is a piece of parchment inscribed with passages from the Torah that is rolled up and enclosed in an often-decorative case. In Judaism, the mezuzah is the way through which we bring God into our homes. Hung on the doorpost of every Jewish home, it is a symbol of protection and connection to the Almighty.

This was the message we all took home after touring the tunnel and seeing the terror agenda with our own eyes.

United with Israel

It is estimated that in the next direct conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, more than 1,000 missiles and rockets will be launched daily against Israeli civilians. From north to south, we are all targets of this Iran-funded terror organization.

While Israel seeks to defend itself, there are those who seek ways to attack, murder and destroy. The tunnel had one purpose only – to kill Jews and destroy the State of Israel.  While Israel invests in life, in its future and in that of its own people, Hezbollah invests in tunnels and weapons and turns the Lebanese civilian population into hostages. With their future hijacked by terror, the Lebanese are starving and watching their economy crumble.

No matter which terror group is involved – whether it’s Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, ISIS or Al Qaeda – Israel and the IDF will always defend the Jewish State.