On Sunday, the Israeli military guided a group of journalists into south Lebanon, showcasing what they claimed were three Hezbollah positions, including two tunnels located just a few hundred meters from the border. The media team, which included an AFP photographer, was taken through the mountainous and densely wooded area near the Lebanese town of Naqura.
While the soldiers did not disclose how deep they were into southern Lebanon, the journalists did not encounter any other individuals during their approximately 90-minute visit. The military restricted movement to a limited area and required prior approval for all photos and video footage before publication.
One of the tunnels, the military indicated, was situated just a few hundred meters from a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) post. Israel has persistently requested that UNIFIL, which has maintained a presence along Lebanon’s southern border since 1978, abandon its positions as Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah in September. However, UNIFIL has declined these requests.
“This is how you build an operational attack outpost, and we found this just 300 yards from the UN post,” stated Lt. Col. Rotem, an Israeli commander who accompanied the journalists. The team was also shown a ditch amid trees, which the military alleged was a Hezbollah post.
The AFP photographer observed Israeli military vehicles crossing into Lebanon near Naqura, where troops had been seen cutting down trees at the entrance of one of the tunnels. Since launching its ground assault on September 30, Israel has taken media representatives into southern Lebanon multiple times. The escalation in Lebanon follows nearly a year of Hezbollah launching cross-border attacks, which they claimed were in support of their Palestinian ally, Hamas.