Jerusalem:

The Israeli army said its forces dismantled a Hezbollah tunnel that crossed into the country’s territory, as its troops continued to carry out ground operations in southern Lebanon.

“Tonight we reported that we located and dismantled a tunnel of about 25 metres long, which crossed the border fence about 10 metres … into Israeli territory,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.

“We detected this a few months ago, we identified and investigated it using technological means, we did not let Hezbollah know that we knew about it and now we can confirm that we are also dismantling it.”

In a separate statement, the military said the tunnel crossed from the Marwahin area in Lebanon into Israeli territory near the Zarit community.

During the operation, the army located weapons, explosive devices and anti-tank missiles in the tunnel, it said.

Hagari said Israeli troops continue to search for other tunnels along the “entire” border and in villages in southern Lebanon.

“The tunnel was under full operational control until the arrival of the soldiers in the area to prevent its use for terrorist activities,” the army said.

“For years, Hezbollah’s southern front has built an extensive network of underground infrastructure and command centres in southern Lebanon, aimed at attacking IDF (army) soldiers during combat and executing attack plans against communities in northern Israel,” it said.

Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah since late September, launching continuous air strikes against the group’s strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon and in Beirut.

Its troops have meanwhile pressed a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

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