Hezbollah's border tunnels lie empty as Israel's war on Iran escalates

The National has been embedded with Unifil peacekeepers in south Lebanon

About 50 metres off the road near the south Lebanese town of Chebaa, the entrance to the tunnel would be easy to miss, with short, bushy trees overhanging a vertical drop around the size of a manhole cover.

It was so well concealed that Israeli drones failed to pick it up as they searched for Hezbollah positions last year.

The tunnel is believed to run for 15-20 metres at a depth of four metres. It was used to store weapons and for fighters from the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group to rest, sitting only 2km away from Israeli positions on the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

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“You can see how concealed it is. It is very difficult to locate even with these drones and the kind of surveillance equipment that Israel uses,” said Lt Col Alok Kumar Singh, a company commander from the Indian military. India is one of the largest troop contributors to the UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon known as Unifil.

Hezbollah hid weapons in tunnels close to Israeli positions on the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel. Mohamad Zanaty for The National

Lt Col Singh said the location was used by Hezbollah to launch missiles. “Last June we had spotted the missiles flying over head from our position,” said Lt Col Singh, who is the commander of a company of about 70 soldiers based at one of the forward Unifil positions in Chebaa near the Blue Line.

This area would have been the perfect position for Iran's most powerful proxy to launch rockets at Israeli positions in support of its patron while Tehran was being flattened by Israel over the past week.

But the tunnel – along with other Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon – now lies vacant, as per the conditions of last November's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah.

“It has been dismantled now,” said Lt Col Singh. He said it was a good example of the role Unifil is supposed to play following the ceasefire in ensuring the dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure.

While the sound of Iranian attacks crashing into Israeli positions near the Occupied Golan Heights – or being intercepted – was distinctly audible on Tuesday, in south Lebanon the situation was calm.

Unifil peacekeepers have been helping to implement the conditions of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Mohamad Zanaty for The National

The National embedded with the Indian battalion as it patrolled its area of operations, which for decades has formed Unifil's easternmost flank in the south of the country.

Lt Col Singh commands Unifil's highest permanent base, in altitude, which is in a highly strategic area. A lot can be seen from the base: the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Chebaa farms, as well as an Israeli military position on an opposing ridge. Next door is the border with Syria, which used to offer the land route for Hezbollah to resupply until the regime of Bashar Al Assad was toppled by rebels last December.

The role of Unifil, which comprises about 10,000 peacekeepers from around 50 countries, is unrelated to the war between Israel and Iran. Unifil is keen to underline that its work – which includes reporting violations of the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire – has not been affected.

Unifil is part of a five-member committee, which includes the Lebanese Army, that is tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire terms. They include ensuring Hezbollah withdraws north of the Litani River and that its infrastructure – such as the tunnels which The National was shown – are dismantled.

The National's Jamie Prentis, right, speaks to Lt Col Alok Kumar Singh of Unifil. Mohamad Zanaty for The National

The Israeli surveillance drones did not miss the above-ground structure around 20 metres away from the tunnel, where a building was destroyed. Connected it to it was what appeared to be an irrigation system, while nearby was an antenna used for Hezbollah's internal communications. That station was bombed during the war, reduced to rubble as part of Israel's demolition of Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah.

Israel's attacks last year saw Hezbollah's leaders and top commanders killed, while much of its formerly vast caches of rockets and missiles capable of attacking Tel Aviv were destroyed.

Those attacks severely reduced Hezbollah's offensive ability. Now, it has also had to withdraw its fighters from the area near Israel and abandon its infrastructure there.

The National was previously told that Lebanese officials had urged Hezbollah not to join Iran’s response to Israeli attacks and that the group had assured them that it would not take part.

The group has also intimated that it would not get involved – at least that has been the case before any possible US direct involvement in support of Israel. It is also under strong international and internal pressure to disarm – a complicated, delicate process.

But the dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure by those such as Unifil and the Lebanese Army means that even if the group were to get involved in support of Iran, it is no longer in control of what used to be its closest positions to Israel.

A member of Unifil patrols near the south Lebanese town of Chebaa. Mohamad Zanaty for The National

The terms of the ceasefire also stipulate that the Lebanese Army will be the sole armed force in south Lebanon and bolster its presence there.

Israel has been accused of violating the ceasefire terms more than 3,000 times. It continues to bomb south Lebanon daily and to occupy five points of Lebanese territory. But despite the Israeli provocation of bombing south Lebanon and killing civilians after the ceasefire, Hezbollah did not respond.

The group is widely understood to have upheld its side of the ceasefire terms, at least in the eyes of the Lebanese state. The Lebanese Army has also increased its presence in south Lebanon.

“After the ceasefire, what we have seen is that [those] who vacated their villages [in south Lebanon] due to the conflict have started coming back,” said Maj Ranjan Singh Bhanuka, another officer in Unifil's Indian military contingent.

“Our co-ordination and co-operation with the Lebanese Armed Forces is increasing day by day. The LAF has occupied all the positions which they were occupying before the conflict. Now I would say they have occupied numerous more positions.

“Their presence in the area of operations [of the Indian battalion of Unifil] has increased, which is a really good sign for us as peacekeepers. It's a very good sign for the local population also,” he added.