This week, after six months, Operation Northern Shield was officially completed; An operation intended to expose and neutralize Hezbollah terror tunnels. The operation came to an end with the neutralization of the “Ramya” flagship tunnel, the sixth and last. The army said the tunnel was dug to a depth of 80 meters (260 feet), was a kilometer (3280 feet) long and penetrated 77 meters (250 feet) into Israeli territory.

It begins in the village of Ramya in Lebanon and crosses the Blue Line into Israeli territory. Hezbollah operatives quarried in the dolomite stone with a cylindrical object attached to a drilling machine, which created circles on the walls of the tunnel. Ramya is situated in the Bint Jbeil district of Lebanon.

The core of the excavated dolomite, which Hezbollah uses with a pipe connected to a trough and railroad tracks, reaches Ramya. Throughout the tunnel there are light infrastructures, a public address system and concrete stairs that allowed Hezbollah members to stay there for many days.

We neutralized this Hezbollah attack tunnel.

It is no longer a useful passage for terror.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 30, 2019

Finding the tunnel is an extraordinary achievement that compels Hezbollah forces to rethink its operative plans. Originally, Hezbollah intended to have its forces break into the communities near the tunnel’s entrance. However, this plan was completely thwarted by IDF forces, which operated discreetly, neutralizing the tunnels while maintaining the element of surprise.

Operation Northern Shield significantly contributed to the strengthening of deterrence, and once again, provides proof that Hezbollah violated Israel’s sovereignty.

The accompanying video provides us with a look inside the massive tunnel, including steps, electric infrastructure, phones and more. Perhaps no less interesting is the fact that at 21 seconds into the video, we see a mezuzah affixed to the doorpost inside the tunnel.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)