JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Friday it has blown up a cross-border tunnel dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon, the first of four it has uncovered — and pledged to destroy — in recent weeks.
“A cross-border attack tunnel dug from the Shiite village of Ramyeh into Israel was detonated” in an operation on Thursday night, the army said in a statement.
The Israeli military “holds the Lebanese Government responsible for digging the attack tunnels and the consequences of this action,” it said.
A video distributed by the army shows an officer using a megaphone to call on residents of the Lebanese village of Ramyeh to evacuate the area since the military was about to “blow up this tunnel built by Hezbollah.”
Israeli soldiers are also seen inserting rope-like objects into a hole in the ground, while the explosion was documented from a number of angles.
On Thursday night, a military spokesman had said the detonation would be on the Israeli side of the demarcation line with Lebanon, known as the Blue Line.
“We are conducting a defensive activity,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters.
In launching an operation to cut off the tunnels on December 4, Israel’s military said it located four underground passageways infiltrating Israeli territory.
Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers, and to seize a slice of Israeli territory in the event of any hostilities, while noting they were not yet operational.
A month-long war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The UN confirmed the existence of the four tunnels and its Under Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has called them “a serious violation of Resolution 1701,” which ended the 2006 war.
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Israeli army says destroys Hezbollah tunnel from Lebanon
Israeli army says destroys Hezbollah tunnel from Lebanon
- The Israeli army said Friday it has blown up a cross-border tunnel dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon
- Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers
Turkiye again blocks aid convoy for Kurds in Syria: NGO
- Last week, Turkish authorities prevented a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies destined for Kobani
- The convoy had been assembled in Turkiye’s southeastern Kurdish city of Diyarbakir
DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye: Turkish authorities have blocked for a second time an aid convoy from reaching the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani that’s been overwhelmed by people fleeing fighting, a local NGO said on Wednesday.
As the Syrian army and Kurdish forces clash in Syria, Kobani has been inundated by people trying to escape the hostilities.
Last week, Turkish authorities prevented a convoy of 25 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies destined for Kobani from reaching the Turkiye-Syria border.
The convoy, which included water, milk, baby formula and blankets, had been assembled in Turkiye’s southeastern Kurdish city of Diyarbakir by the Diyarbakir Solidarity and Protection Platform, the NGO that organized the aid drive.
After it was blocked last week, it had initially been authorized to travel via Azaz, a city in northern Syria, with its own delegation overseeing the handover.
But “the delegation was again denied permission,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
The trucks “were not allowed to cross into Kobani despite all efforts,” it said, adding that “the aid was brought back to Diyarbakir.”
Last week, residents of Kobani said they were running out of food, water and electricity because the city was overwhelmed with people fleeing the advance of the Syrian army.
Kurdish forces accused the Syrian army of imposing a siege on Kobani, also known as Ain Al-Arab in Arabic.
After months of deadlock and fighting, Damascus and the Syrian Kurds announced an agreement on Friday.
The deal “seeks to unify Syrian territory,” including Kurdish areas, while also maintaining an ongoing ceasefire and introducing the “gradual integration” of Kurdish forces and administrative institutions, according to the text of the agreement.
Kurdish forces liberated Kobani from a lengthy siege by the Daesh group in 2015, their first major victory against the jihadists.
Turkiye views Syrian Kurdish fighters as a terror group affiliated with Turkiye’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
As the Syrian army and Kurdish forces clash in Syria, Kobani has been inundated by people trying to escape the hostilities.
Last week, Turkish authorities prevented a convoy of 25 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies destined for Kobani from reaching the Turkiye-Syria border.
The convoy, which included water, milk, baby formula and blankets, had been assembled in Turkiye’s southeastern Kurdish city of Diyarbakir by the Diyarbakir Solidarity and Protection Platform, the NGO that organized the aid drive.
After it was blocked last week, it had initially been authorized to travel via Azaz, a city in northern Syria, with its own delegation overseeing the handover.
But “the delegation was again denied permission,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
The trucks “were not allowed to cross into Kobani despite all efforts,” it said, adding that “the aid was brought back to Diyarbakir.”
Last week, residents of Kobani said they were running out of food, water and electricity because the city was overwhelmed with people fleeing the advance of the Syrian army.
Kurdish forces accused the Syrian army of imposing a siege on Kobani, also known as Ain Al-Arab in Arabic.
After months of deadlock and fighting, Damascus and the Syrian Kurds announced an agreement on Friday.
The deal “seeks to unify Syrian territory,” including Kurdish areas, while also maintaining an ongoing ceasefire and introducing the “gradual integration” of Kurdish forces and administrative institutions, according to the text of the agreement.
Kurdish forces liberated Kobani from a lengthy siege by the Daesh group in 2015, their first major victory against the jihadists.
Turkiye views Syrian Kurdish fighters as a terror group affiliated with Turkiye’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
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