Israel seals cross-border tunnels from Lebanon

Israel's army said Thursday it had destroyed "attack tunnels" crossing from a Lebanese village into Israeli territory, sealing it with cement that has flooded some areas in the village.

The tunnels stretch from the village of Kafr Kela in southern Lebanon to near the town of Metula in northern Israel, the head of the International Media Branch at the army's Spokesperson Unit, Jonathan Conricus, said in a brief to foreign reporters.

Israel accuses Hezbollah, a Lebanese Iranian-backed militia, of building a network of cross-border tunnels allegedly in order to attack Israel.

The cement used to block the tunnels was identified flowing from a chicken coop in Kafr Kela in which a tunnels opening was found, as well as from the cement factory the Israeli army had identified as one of the digging sites for a different attack tunnel, Conricus said.

"This fact points to Hezbollah's use of civilian structures in the urban areas of southern Lebanon, while blatantly violating UN Resolution 1701 and using Lebanese civilians as human shields," the army said in a statement.

"The neutralization of the tunnels lasted for several days and was carried out using an engineering method that included the use of various means," the statement read.

Conricus stressed that the army was operating from within Israeli territory without crossing the Blue Line, a border demarcation drawn in 2000 by the United Nations after Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon.

The closing of the tunnels was part of Israel's "Northern Shield" operation launched on Dec. 4 to "locate and thwart" cross-border tunnels.

According to Conricus, the tunnels are part of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah's plan from 2013 to conquer the Galilee. The tunnels were supposed to be "a secret component" of the plan, and were supposed to facilitate undetected infiltration of the Radwan Unit, Hezbollah's special forces, along with an attempt to storm into Israel under heavy fire.

The army said it holds the Lebanese government "responsible for digging the tunnels and its consequences."

Hezbollah has not responded to the Israeli moves.

Israel and Hezbollah had a month-long war in 2006 that ended in a cease-fire.