A Review Of The Use Of Tunnels By Hamas, Hizbullah, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Ansar Allah (Houthis), And Other Jihadi Groups And Ramifications For U.S. National Security – With Foreword By General (Ret) Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., USMC

Memri

14-02-2025

Table of Contents
FOREWORD BY GENERAL (RET) KENNETH F. MCKENZIE JR., USMC
Introduction The U.S. Military And The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): Cutting-Edge Tunnel Research
Under The U.S.-Mexico Border, Smugglers Have Used Hundreds Of Tunnels Over Two Decades – And ISIS Supporters Have Noticed
A Look At Canada-U.S. Tunnels
Islamic State (ISIS) Used Tunnels In Iraq, Syria, And Afghanistan; Publications Instruct On And Encourage Tunnel Construction
ISIS Supporter Shares Tunnel-Building Manual Based On Work Of ISIS Supporter In Gaza ISIS Tunnels Discovered In Iraq
ISIS Tunnels Discovered In Syria And Afghanistan
ISIS Publications Encouraging And Instructing On Digging Tunnels
Hurras Al-Din, The Al-Qaeda Affiliate In Syria, Digging Trenches, Fortifications
Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Uses Tunnels For Defense Against Airstrikes, As "Terrifying Examples For The Enemies," And A "Popular Culture" HTS Halts Syrian Military Through Use Of Defensive And Offensive "Explosive Tunnels"
HTS: Gaza Owes Its "Legendary Steadfastness" To Tunnels
HTS Construction And Use Of Tunnels
HTS Construction And Use Of Trenches
HTS Construction And Use Of Fortifications
Hizbullah, Its Tunnels, And The October 7 Massacre In Israel Hizbullah Statements And Publications Featuring Tunnels
Hizbullah Digs Tunnels Under Lebanon-Israel Border In Violation Of UNSC Resolution 1701
Some Hizbullah Tunnels Dug Before 2006
Lebanese Daily: Hizbullah Has Stationed Its Elite Unit In Shab'a Farms Area In South Lebanon, On High Alert And With Special Gear
"Hizbullah Had Trained Hamas" To Dig Tunnels
Israel's Invasion Of Southern Lebanon Reveals Hizbullah's Vast Tunnel Network, Stockpiles Of Weapons, And Military Plans – October 2024
Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthi Movement Train Using Tunnels
"The Gaza Metro" – Hamas's October 7 Attack And Its Tunnels In The Gaza Strip Confronted By The Hamas Tunnel Network In Gaza City And Rafah, The Israeli Military Has Adjusted Upward Its Estimate Of Its Size Since October 7
Hamas Tunnels In The West Bank
A Historical Look At Egypt's Tunnels To Gaza And The Muslim Brotherhood's Support In Developing Them
Report On Hamas' Tunnel Complex In Gaza: Tunnels Suffered Only Limited Damage, Are Operational And Constitute A Strategic Weapon For Future War With Israel
TV Report Shows Gazan Women Recruits Of The Democratic Front For Liberation Of Palestine (DFLP) Training In Tunnel Warfare, Simulating Taking Over Israeli Armored Vehicle
Report On Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades' Anti-Tank Unit Claims Unit Is Prepared For An Israeli Ground Invasion, Shows Kornet Missile Simulator
Al-Mayadeen TV Features Gaza Attack Tunnels Of The Al-Mujahideen Brigades
Video Featuring Hamas Commando Team Features Tunnels
Footage Of Tunnels Used By Hamas For Terror Attacks
Report On Hamas Fighters In Gaza Tunnel
Report On Hamas Tunnel-Digging Unit
Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya TV Reports On Gaza Tunnels And Missile Production Before Being Ordered By Hamas To Leave Gaza
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Drills Capturing Israeli Soldiers Via Tunnels Palestinian Islamic Jihad Showcases Military Capabilities on Iranian TV: It Is Our Natural Right to Capture Israeli Soldiers; We Have New Tunnels
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Digs New Tunnels In Gaza
Popular Resistance Brigades' Use And Construction Of Tunnels, Trenches, And Fortifications Popular Resistance Brigade Construction And Use Of Tunnels
Popular Resistance Brigade Construction And Use Of Trenches
Popular Resistance Brigade Construction And Use Of Fortifications
Iran-Backed Militias In Syria Use Tunnels To Transport Arms, Protect Weapons Depots Syrian Opposition Media Outlet: Iran-Backed Militias Complete Underground Border Crossing Between Iraq And Syrian Desert To Smuggle Weapons, Drugs Without Fear Of Airstrikes
Syrian Opposition Websites: Despite U.S. Attacks, Iran-Backed Militias Still Active in Eastern Syria: Commanders Have Returned; Militias Are Digging Tunnels For Weapons, Recruiting Locals
On Facebook, Syrian Opposition Page Reports Iran Backs Digging Of Tunnels In Syria To Protect Missiles, Weapons Depots, Reveals Presence Of Iranian, Afghan, Iraqi Fighters
Syrian Opposition Media Outlets: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps And Its Militias Excavate Tunnels On Syria-Iraq Border To Evade Air Attacks On Arms Shipments
Harakat Muhajireen Ahl-e-Sunnat Iran Digs Tunnels, Underground Bunkers In Syria
Other Syria-Based Jihadi Groups Building And Using Tunnels, Trenches, And Fortifications Other Syria-Based Groups Building And Using Tunnels
Other Syria-Based Groups Building And Using Trenches
Other Syria-Based Groups Building And Using Fortifications
Taliban Tunnels In Afghanistan And Pakistan Afghan Taliban Tunnels
Pakistani Taliban Tunnels
FOREWORD BY GENERAL (RET) KENNETH F. MCKENZIE JR., USMC
The history of tactical warfare revolves around the concept of finding unassailable flank. A force that can position itself where it can bring unexpected foie and maneuver against an opponent can gain a significant tactical advantage. From the trenches of the first World War until now, this has been the holy grail of tacticians. We've tried it with protected maneuver – the use of tanks; we've tried it with airborne and air-mobile forces, and we've tried it with the expenditure of massive amount of firepower to create gaps in an enemy's defenses. Some of these techniques have worked, and some of them have failed. Now we see for the first time the systematic utilization of highly organized deep tunnel networks to maneuver against a foe. The intent is an old one – to create an assailable flank or a position of advantage against an opponent.
This MEMRI report is timely and disturbing. They have done a remarkable job of exposing the new complexities of combat in a built-up urban area, and also how tunnels add a new and concerning dimension to conflict outside of urban areas. As they demonstrate, we now need to treat ground combat as far more than just tactical interaction on the surface of the earth and in the infrastructure that is above it. We must now consider operations to involve not only fighting on the surface of the earth, but also operations underground in the shallow urban infrastructure, and, of course, operations in the deeply tunneled underground. At the same time, we must be prepared to fight above the ground, and in the urban infrastructure. We are now in an era of genuine multi-dimensional operations.
There are limits to this new approach – it requires that the fight be undertaken on prepared ground, so it is inherently defensive in its application, although tunnels did serve as a method for injecting terrorists into Israel in the early states of the October attack. Solving this problem will require the use of advanced robotics, ground searching radar, and advanced AI. Understanding the complexity of the problem we confront is the first task, and this MEMRI report is precisely what is needed.
General (Ret) Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., USMC
14th Commander, U.S. Central Command
Introduction
Hamas's October 7, 2023 surprise attack, which included the use of paragliders, the tearing down of the border fence, the taking of hostages, and their transport, along with bodies of the murdered, into the massive network of Hamas's tunnels, was a huge military achievement for terrorist organizations and serves as a model for others to follow in future attacks. As Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mash'al said on October 26, 2023 on Egyptian television: "The Russians told us that what happened on October 7 would be taught in military academies. The Chinese are thinking of carrying out a plan in Taiwan, doing what the Al-Qassam Brigades did on October 7. The Arabs are giving the world a master class." [1]
The construction of at least 300 miles of tunnels right under the noses of Israeli and even U.S. intelligence was a stunning achievement. John Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point's Modern War Institute, outlined the extent of the tunnel network under Gaza on July 1, 2024: "It is growing more and more difficult to describe Hamas's underground network in Gaza as the Israeli military continue discovering tunnels, London metro 402 km, New York subway system 399 km, Seoul metro 340 km. The 'Gaza metro' is believed to be over 500 km but may end up being even bigger." [2] Spencer detailed this issue in a longer article titled "Gaza's Underground: Hamas's Entire Politico-Military Strategy Rests on Its Tunnels." [3] Spencer also wrote, alongside Colonel Patrick Sullivan and Modern War Institute editor-in-chief John Amble, a study titled "Israel's Campaign against Hezbollah and the Fight for Southern Lebanon's Tunnels" in which they concluded: " T he fight to control the tunnels and deny their control to Hezbollah is a necessary component of any campaign against the group. A war might not be won exclusively in the tunnels, but it cannot be won without accounting for them." [4]
On February 9, 2025, Hamas released a propaganda video showing Israeli hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami being led through tunnels, where they had been held captive for nearly 500 days, to be handed over to Israel. Their release took place February 8. The video, apparently the first footage released by Hamas of hostages walking through the tunnels, gives a glimpse of the tunnels' sophistication and depth underground, and shows the heavy doors and the rooms in which hostages were kept. The information it provides is valuable for clues as to in the tunnels, and gives a glimpse of how elaborate and deep they are, as well as the heavy doors and rooms of the hostages. This is valuable for clues to how and where other hostages may be kept.
Strategic military interest in the issue of terrorist use of tunnels is well founded, as many terrorist organizations are actively using them in combat. Most recently, according to a February 6, 2025 report by the Syrian website Eye of Euphrates, newly constructed tunnels have been discovered in Deir Al-Zour, in eastern Syria, since the fall of the Assad regime. The report stated that the construction of these tunnels had "reached its peak" some six months before the regime's fall. [5]
On January 24, 2025, the independent Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on a network of tunnels constructed and used by Iran-backed militias in Deir Al-Zour during the Assad era (to view a video of the tunnels, click here).
Earlier, on December 16, 2024, the Qatar-owned Al-Jazeera TV channel published a video it identified as showing, in Deir Al-Zour, a deserted underground headquarters, including a tunnel dug 50-65 feet deep, that Iran-backed militias and Russia's PMC Wagner had used to plan military operations, including some carried out against U.S. forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The video features Farsi-language documents and a map highlighting the U.S. military base at the Conoco gas field in the area, as well as other U.S. sites in eastern Syria. [6] ­­
A video report features a map on the walls of a tunnel identified as showing detailed descriptions of deployments of various military forces in Syria.
O­­­­­n July 6, 2024, the official Telegram channel of Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthi movem­­ent released a video of a "complex" military exercise that showed, among other things, anti-tank squads emerging from underground tunnels. [7]
Click here to view this video produced by the Houthis showing tunnels (at the 1:50 mark). Below are still images from the video:
Houthi fighters emerging from a tunnel.
Detailing how tunnels are being built and used by terror organizations, this study reviews their use for: military exercises, communication and dissemination of data and intelligence; training, transportation and logistics; resupply, storage, and smuggling; weapons manufacturing; infiltration, exfiltration, medical evacuation, and ambushes; maneuvering and flanking enemies and for cover and concealment for fighters; as a firing range; attacking or capturing soldiers; firing mortars and artillery; and for emplacing and deploying concealed multiple launch rocket systems. Jihadi groups often provide contact information, including via WhatsApp, for supporters to send funds for the construction of tunnels and trenches, which, alongside tunnels, jihadis have actively used on many battlefields.
The use of tunnels by adversaries is a longtime worry for U.S. government and military planners, which have invested a lot of time and money, mainly through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to extensively study it and develop technology to deal with this threat. Terrorist use of tunnels is also a U.S. national security issue – and not only because of threats to U.S. embassies and other places of interest, but because tunnels originating in Canada and Mexico constitute a direct threat to homeland security. Further, Israel's inability to take the Hamas tunnels within the past 12 months, due largely to Hamas's use of human shields, will give military strategists much to plan for and in the future, Israel's hard-won expertise will be sought after.
The following MEMRI study, which draws on ten years of terrorist organizations' video productions, online posts, and other reporting, including never-before-seen releases of terrorist activity inside tunnels, reviews how jihadi terrorist groups around the world, including the Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda Syrian affiliate Hurras Al-Din, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), Hizbullah, the Houthis, Hamas and its Al-Qassam Brigades, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and its Al-Quds Brigades, the Popular Resistance Brigades in Syria, Iran-backed militias in Syria, Harakat Muhajireen Ahl-e-Sunnat Iran, and other Syria-based jihadi groups, are using tunnels. It covers the history of Hamas tunnels, including little-known details of how the Muslim Brotherhood helped Hamas, as described by Kuwaiti Islamic scholar and Muslim Brotherhood leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan.
The U.S. Military And The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): Cutting-Edge Tunnel Research
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a Department of Defense (DoD) research and development agency that adapts new technologies for use by the military and is often called the "DOD's think tank," has for years been researching the potential offensive and defensive use of tunnels. DARPA's research in recent years has reportedly included a range of topics related to tunnels, including finding technologies that will rapidly map, navigate, and search subterranean areas [8] and allow for easier exploration and navigation of subterranean areas that are unsafe for humans. [9]
It has also sought information on unused tunnel systems, particularly a man-made environment spanning multiple blocks and having multiple stories, atriums, tunnels, and stairwells that they could use to conduct research and experiments. These tunnels would be used to research technologies that would be used to leverage subterranean areas. [10] DARPA has used AI to analyze ground conditions to determine how to tunnel quickly and efficiently, and minimize deformation in an established tunnel system. This is an area in which Elon Musk's The Boring Company has also conducted research, focusing on tunnel approaches, downhole sensing, and concepts of operations. [11]
On November 21, 2017, in a statement titled "Digging for Ideas to Revolutionize Subterranean Mapping and Navigation," DARPA examined the importance of "subterranean warfare – whether involving human-made tunnels, underground urban infrastructure, or natural cave networks." It stated that " adversaries are increasingly heading underground to circumvent detection," and that in order to "to explore these possibilities, DARPA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to augment its understanding of state-of-the-art technologies that could enable future systems to rapidly map and navigate unknown complex subterranean environments to locate objects of interest, e.g., trapped survivors, without putting humans in harm's way." [12]
The following month, on December 21, 2017, DARPA announced a Subterranean or "SubT" Challenge to explore "new approaches to rapidly map, navigate, and search underground environments."
A DARPA video promotes its Subterranean Challenge
Fred Kennedy , who was at the time director of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, said that "[i]nstead of avoiding caves and tunnels, we can use surrogates to map and assess their suitability for use. Through the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, we are inviting the scientific and engineering communities – as well as the public – to use their creativity and resourcefulness to come up with new technologies and concepts to make the inaccessible accessible." [13]
A DARPA video promoting its Subterranean Challenge explains how participants can enter its "Systems" or "Virtual" tracks.
On March 7, 2019, DARPA said that it was seeking "tools to capture underground worlds in 3D." These environments were to include "including human-made tunnels, underground infrastructure, and natural cave networks." [14] According to a April 29, 2019 DARPA statement, following an "Integration Exercise," competitors in the SubT Challenge announced in 2017 were preparing a "Tunnel Circuit" in August 2019 in which " Teams could earn points by accurately locating, identifying, and reporting artifacts placed within the tunnels. " [15] An "Urban Circuit" was reportedly held in February 2020 [16] and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Cave Circuit originally scheduled for November of the same year was held only in virtual format. [17] DARPA announced the winners of the SubT Challenge on September 24, 2021. [18]
A DARPA video promoting its Subterranean Challenge explains how participants will operate in different environments.
DARPA announced, on April 1, 2020, its "Underminer program," under which three teams, from General Electric, the Colorado School of Mines, and Sandia National Laboratories, would develop technologies and solutions surpassing current commercial drilling capabilities. The goal of the project was to " demonstrate the feasibility of rapidly constructing tactical tunnel networks to provide secure logistics infrastructure to pre-position supplies or resupply troops as they move through an area ." In particular the project aimed to " merge breakthroughs in horizontal drilling, trenchless boring technologies, and robotics to create a set of systems allowing consistent underground access ." [19] The project reportedly sought to build a robot that imitates an earthworm to dig tunnels to resupply troops in combat. [20]
A DARPA video promoting its Subterranean Challenge explains how participants can win prizes of $750,000 or $2,000,000.
On March 31, 2022, DARPA reported that it had completed its Underminer program, and that the effort had "demonstrated the feasibility of rapidly constructing tactical tunnel networks that enable secure, responsive resupply in denied environments." It further said that "Adversaries, peer competitor nations, and allies around the world are building and exploiting tunnels for tactical operations." [21]
Saying on July 22, 2022, that it was seeking a "compact source for powerful subatomic particles to enable new defense and scientific capabilities," DARPA added that the applications for such a source would include "rapidly mapping the location of underground tunnels and chambers hundreds of meters below the Earth's surface." [22]
While it is unclear whether DARPA's cutting-edge research in tunnel warfare has been able to assist in Israel's underground battle against Hamas, it will most likely provide innovative ideas for future battles.
Under The U.S.-Mexico Border, Smugglers Have Used Hundreds Of Tunnels Over Two Decades – And ISIS Supporters Have Noticed
While the U.S.-Mexico border was one of the top issues in the coming presidential election, there has been little discussion of the national security threat of tunnels, which in the future could pose a national security threat. The Hamas October 7 attack and Hamas's use of tunnels should be seen as a warning. Tunnels have been a concern vis-à-vis the security of the U.S.-Mexico border for decades. Former Ambassador to Mexico Chris Landau said on September 13, 2024: "Hamas folks have this tunnel technology and the cartels in Mexico want to take advantage of that kind of technology... This has got to be the Number One national security interest of the United States – to make sure our own borders are secure." [23]
The tunnels on the U.S.-Mexico border have also been connected to designated terrorist organizations. The notorious Los Zetas drug trafficking organization, which smuggles into the U.S. via manmade tunnel systems along the Mexico-U.S. border, has partnered with Hizbullah, which is "forging ideologically promiscuous ties with Colombia's right-wing paramilitary groups and communist guerillas and digging tunnels for drug cartels on the Mexican-American border – the same kinds of tunnel networks it has spent years perfecting along the geographically similar Lebanese-Israeli border. [24]
On September 5, 2023, two users of the encrypted server Rocket.Chat operated by the Islamic State (ISIS) discussed ways to travel into Mexico and Canada. In two posts, one in Arabic and one in English, user "omar.ansari" asked other users for information travelling to Mexico or Canada, explaining that he had seen videos showing Iraqi and Yemeni men illegally crossing the border from Ecuador into Mexico. [25]
It is well known that Mexican cartels are smuggling people into the U.S. On June 20, 2024, it was reported that Mexican drug cartels were offering a special "VIP" package for moving people across the border: For $6,000-$15,000, a cartel will smuggle a person across the border via a tunnel from Ciudad Juárez into El Paso, Texas. According to a senior Mexican official, a joint investigation by Mexican and U.S. authorities found that one cartel has been smuggling at least 1,000 migrants through the tunnels into El Paso every month. [26]
The most recently discovered tunnel from Juárez into El Paso was discovered January 9, 2025. It was described by U.S. federal officials as "sophisticated" – about six feet tall and four feet wide with lighting and ventilation throughout. It goes under the Rio Grande, the border wall, the American Canal, and levees, and leads to a network of storm drains in El Paso. U.S. officials began filling the tunnel in with cement on the U.S. side about a week after its discovery, and it was reported in late January 2025 that Mexican authorities have begun filling it in on the Mexican side. [27]
Arab-American YouTuber Jad Manon posted a video in Arabic on August 1, 2024 on Arab immigration into the U.S. from Mexico that highlighted the process Arabs must go through in order to cross into the U.S. either legally or illegally. Arabs who are caught crossing into the U.S. illegally can ask for asylum status, he explained, while Mexicans are sent back to Mexico. He said: "There are also people who cross through tunnels they dig underground, or they can saw [through a beam] and go under it, like that Mexican guy showed us, or they climb the wall and go to the other side, to America, and especially to San Diego." [28]
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below
Media reported on May 18, 2023 that Mexican federal agents had found a tunnel under construction, located in a Tijuana home near the border across from San Diego about a mile east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The tunnel reportedly stopped about 45 feet away from U.S. soil. [29]
A tunnel uncovered in Tijuana in May 2023.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the district of Arizona reported on June 24, 2021 that a man had been sentenced to 41 months in prison for conspiracy to import methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. The charges were related to the entrance to a tunnel that had been discovered inside his house. [30]
A tunnel uncovered by federal agents of the San Diego Tunnel Task Force uncovered a "sophisticated drug smuggling tunnel" on March 19, 2020. It extended over 2,000 feet underground from a warehouse in Tijuana, Mexico to a warehouse in a commercial complex in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. Agents seized cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and fentanyl from the tunnel, with a total street value estimated at $29.6 million. [31] On April 10, 2020, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California reported that a Mexican national with legal residency in the U.S. had been charged with trafficking $30,000,000 worth of the drugs via the tunnel. [32]
A report on April 20, 2016 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California stated that federal officials had seized what was thought to be the longest cross-border tunnel ever discovered along the California-Mexico border up to that time, with an estimated length of about 2,400 feet. Also confiscated was over a ton of cocaine, in the single largest cocaine seizure associated with a Southern California tunnel at the time. The tunnel, which stretched from a house in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico to an outdoor fenced-in commercial lot in an Otay Mesa industrial park, had rail and ventilation systems, lights, and a sophisticated large elevator leading from the tunnel into a closet inside the Tijuana residence. [33]
On March 23, 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California reported that Federal officials had seized a cross-border tunnel and arrested four people in Calexico, California and Arizona, and had confiscated over a ton of marijuana. The tunnel, which was 415 yards long, stretched from a restaurant in Mexicali, Mexico to a house in Calexico, California, about 300 yards north of the international border. In the front room of the residence, agents found a hole in the floor covered with tile leading to a shaft leading underground. [34]
A tunnel approximately 600 yards in length, was discovered in April 2014 following a five-month probe. It connected a commercial building in Otay Mesa with a warehouse in Tijuana. The passageway was equipped with lighting, a crude rail system, and wooden trusses and was accessed down a 70-foot shaft secured by a cement cover. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California reported on April 6, 2014, that a second defendant had been charged in connection with this tunnel. [35]
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported in 2017 that more than 200 smuggling tunnels had been discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border in various stages of construction, with 120 of them found in Nogales, Arizona. Border Patrol Agent Felipe Jimenez joked that "one of these days the whole city is going to drop 15 feet because there are so many tunnels." Terrorist organizations have noticed this vulnerability; an ISIS magazine depicted smugglers bringing a nuclear device into the U.S. using a tunnel from Mexico. [36]
On February 12, 2013, U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement reported that Federal authorities had shut down a recently completed, cross-border drug smuggling tunnel and seized more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana. This followed a multi-agency investigation by the Nogales Tunnel Task Force, with significant assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol in Nogales. The hand-dug tunnel was about 68 feet long and averaged about two feet wide. The entrance was in the front yard of a private residence in Nogales and ran for about 26 feet underground before passing under the international boundary and running 42 feet on the U.S. side of the border. Since 2010, authorities had shut down 26 tunnels in Nogales. [37]
A tunnel shut down by the Nogales Tunnel Task Force (source: Ice.gov)
A May 2008 document from the National Drug Intelligence Center stated that about 33 tunnels had been discovered along the California-Mexico border since 1993, and that 21 of had been discovered since 2006 alone. [38] A DHS "Master List of Border Tunnels" dated December 19, 2007 lists 21 tunnels from California to Mexico. [39]
A Look At Canada-U.S. Tunnels
While the U.S.-Mexico border appears to be a greater national security concern, little thought has been devoted to the tunnels running from Canada to the U.S. On July 21, 2005, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Washington reported the arrest of three men in connection with the construction of "a sophisticated tunnel running from British Columbia, Canada, into Washington State." The tunnel, at a depth of between three and 10 feet, was about 360 feet long and was reinforced with wood and steel. The men charged with crimes related to distributing and importing marijuana. U.S. Attorney John McKay said about the case: "The presence of a tunnel on our northern border threatens the security of both countries, whether it is used to smuggle drugs, contraband or even terrorists." The tunnel, reportedly the first ever discovered between Canada and the U.S., [40] had cost $1-$6 million to build. [41] It was destroyed and in 2006 the men were sentenced to nine years in prison. [42]
Islamic State (ISIS) Used Tunnels In Iraq, Syria, And Afghanistan; Publications Instruct On And Encourage Tunnel Construction
During the time when it was most active, the Islamic State built tunnels in Iraq and in Syria. Tunnel and cave systems constructed by the Islamic State were found in northern Iraq, including a 1,300-foot tunnel in Ninawa Province and another in Mosul. An estimated 3,000 fighters were at one point reportedly hiding in tunnels the group built in Syria. It has also been pointed out that ISIS leaders, including Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, have been found hiding in tunnels. Pro-ISIS publications have encouraged readers to dig secret tunnels to prepare for a coming war and giving instructions on how to dig tunnels.
ISIS Supporter Shares Tunnel-Building Manual Based On Work Of ISIS Supporter In Gaza
On February 26, 2024, a user of ISIS-operated server on Rocket Chat shared a manual by pro-ISIS Al-Saqri Foundation For Military Sciences providing instructions on how to build tunnels used for military and smuggling purposes. The manual is based on the memoirs of one Jarrah Al-Ansari, an ISIS supporter in the Gaza Strip, who describes the use of tunnels in warfare as an especially effective means in reaching secure locations and smuggling food, supplies, vehicles, and weapons to a designated area, or as prison facilities. [43]
The manual included photos describing a typical tunnel, beginning with the opening, called "the well" by Gazans, and going on the "elbow," where the tunnel well curves at a certain depth to head to the target area. According to the description, there are two types of wells, vertical or slanted, and in this case, they are used for smuggling cars and equipment. Then comes the "tunnel line" and finally the "eye," from which the tunnel exits to the target area or location.
An improvised process for removing sand from tunnels during excavation.
ISIS Tunnels Discovered In Iraq
On November 2, 2019, it was reported that the Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition had uncovered several ISIS tunnel systems in northern Iraq. OIR used demolition material to destroy a 1,300-foot tunnel in Ninewa Province. Two other tunnel systems were destroyed as well. It's believed that the tunnels served as "bed down locations" for terrorists and were a transit hub for ISIS fighters. [44]
The British Elite Special Forces snipers launched in late July 2020, an attack on jihadis hiding in mountain caves in Iraq, killing 100 IS fighters. Since April 2020, there have been approximately ten battles in northern Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State maintains a network of caves and tunnels in northern Iraq where its fighters have been able to hide and avoid capture. [45]
Media reported on March 2, 2017, that the Islamic State had built a tunnel hiding a training camp in Mosul, Iraq. The training camp was almost a mile long and was found 32-feet underground. [46] Additionally, it was estimated to hold more than 150 fighters at a time. It was described as being a "well-equipped facility" and was the largest ISIS camp discovered so far. [47]
An Iraqi soldier in an ISIS training facility located 22 feet underground.
A network of underground tunnels was reportedly discovered by Kurdish forces in Iraq on March 4, 2016. Chambers were thought to be 30-feet deep, allowing ISIS fighters to protect themselves from airstrikes. Additionally, the soldiers investigating the tunnels found that the chambers had electricity. [48]
The United States' forces were reported on April 29, 2020, to have successfully destroyed an Islamic State cave system in Iraq with airstrikes. The airstrikes hit 10 caves and were conducted in coordination with Iraqi forces. It was estimated that between five to 10 ISIS fighters were killed in the attack. Moreover, ISIS documents, devices, and equipment were recovered from the caves. Major General Eric hill, the commanding general for Operation Inherent Resolve, noted that coalition forces are targeting ISIS with "relentless pressure." [49]
ISIS Tunnels Discovered In Syria And Afghanistan
Between 2016 and 2019, there were many reports of the Islamic State (ISIS) using tunnels in Syria and Iraq. On February 14, 2019, a group of Islamic State jihadis used tunnels and suicide bombers to defend their final square kilometer in eastern Syria. The estimated number of fighters was around 1,000. U.S. forces in the area carried out airstrikes in addition to having forces on the ground, all searching for jihadis. [50]
On March 4, 2016, it was reported that a network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces in Iraq. Chambers were thought to be 30-feet deep, allowing ISIS fighters to protect themselves from airstrikes. Additionally, the soldiers investigating the tunnels found that the chambers had electricity. [51]
There were reports on December 4, 2018, that there were up to 3,000 ISIS soldiers thought to be hiding in tunnels and bunkers in Syria and Iraq. A senior security source noted "Islamic State fighters have retreated to well-strengthened underground networks in the desert." Additionally, Army Colonel Sean Ryan stated that it was difficult to know how many jihadis there were as ISIS was underground. [52]
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were reported in February 2019 to have been slowed in their effort to defeat the last pocket of ISIS in Syria by the group's "extensive use of tunnels and human shields." Mustafa Bali, an SDF spokesman stated "It is expected that there are still undiscovered tunnels, even rooms underground...this creates a military problem for us." [53]
On April 13, 2017, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan struck an ISIS tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. [54] This reportedly involved the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat. [55]
ISIS Publications Encouraging And Instructing On Digging Tunnels
Pro-ISIS Al-Burhan media, in a July 10, 2020 graphic, advised the mujahideen in the Indian Subcontinent to dig tunnels in preparation for a coming war and to be secretive about these preparations. [56]
Pro-ISIS media encouraging secret tunnel construction.
The pro-ISIS Al-Saqri Foundation published on November 14, 2018, a pamphlet describing how to dig tunnels for military use, written by a Jarrah Al-Ansari. [57]
Pro-ISIS media teaching readers how to dig tunnels.
Hurras Al-Din, The Al-Qaeda Affiliate In Syria, Digging Trenches, Fortifications
Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria Hurras Al-Din has for years been digging trenches and fortifications in Syria. The group released on September 18, 2019, a pictorial report showing its fighters on guard duty, digging trenches, and stationed at posts. [58]
Hurras Al-Din pictorial report showing fighters in trenches.
Hurras Al-Din media arm Sham Al-Ribat published on August 6, 2019, a pictorial report showing the group's fighters at their positions on the front lines in Aleppo, Latakia, and Hamah areas digging fortifications and aiming weapons at enemy forces. [59]
Hurras Al-Din pictorial report shows fighters digging fortifications.
Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Uses Tunnels For Defense Against Airstrikes, As "Terrifying Examples For The Enemies," And A "Popular Culture"
Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a jihadi group that formed in Syria in January 2017 as a merger of six other groups, has used tunnels in Syria. Posts from their outlets and leaders have shown fighters digging tunnels and encouraged others to do the same, emphasizing their defensive value against airstrikes. They have referred to the tunnels as "terrifying examples for the enemies" that have become a "popular culture" in Syria. They have also described Russian efforts to destroy tunnels. HTS fighters have made use of trenches and fortifications as well. It should be noted that following the HTS-led takeover of Syria in late 2024, HTS leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani became de facto leader and then president of Syria in January 2025, reverting to his given name Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
HTS Halts Syrian Military Through Use Of Defensive And Offensive "Explosive Tunnels"
On August 28, 2023, the pro-HTS Murasil Maydani Telegram channel published a series of posters detailing recent confrontations between HTS' Al-Fath Al-Mubin Operations Room and the Syrian military in the village of Al-Milajah, south of Idlib. The text on the posters state that the Syrian military tried three times to advance in the front, and were three times repelled by the rebels by means of artillery, rockets, and mortars, as well as the detonation of "explosive tunnels." The posters emphasize the defensive and offensive effectiveness of tunnels rigged with explosives, and gives examples of their use against Syrian regime forces over the past several years. [60]
In one poster, HTS claims that the use of tunnels "has been an effective tactic in the Syrian war, by means of which many achievements were attained such as the liberation of areas, caserns, as well as a means of attrition and terror for enemy soldiers... Detonating explosive tunnels remains one of the most effective tactics both in defens­e and offense positions, given their low cost and the significant impact it creates."
HTS poster describing the use of tunnels as an effective tactic in the Syrian war.
HTS poster describing the use of tunnels as an effective tactic in the Syrian war.
On May 5, 2019, Dr. Bassam Sahyouni, head of the HTS-affiliated Shura Council of the General Conference of the Syrian Revolution, stated that the military strategy of digging tunnels is one of the most successful tactics in the history of warfare and urges fighters in Syria to make of digging tunnels a "popular culture," noting the tactic's effectiveness in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Palestine, and Syria. [61]
HTS official describing tunnel use as an effective tactic and a "popular culture."
HTS: Gaza Owes Its "Legendary Steadfastness" To Tunnels
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency released on September 30, 2019, a three-minute and 40-second animation titled "The Culture of Fortification: A Military Strategy" ­highlighting the importance of tunnels, trenches, and shelters in combat. After providing historical examples of battles in which trenches had been used, the video considered Gaza as an ideal example of a well-fortified city. [62]
An HTS animation highlights the importance of tunnels, trenches, and shelters. Bottom left caption reads: "Gaza is renowned for its tunnels and trenches."
Click here or below to watch the video.
The video outlined the evolution of military tactics across history from the use of trenches in the early days of Islam to the battlegrounds of the 20th century including those along Germany's border on which that country repelled allied offensives.
Highlighting the significant role of tunnels in the "legendary steadfastness" of the small city of Gaza in the face of one of the "world's mightiest armies," the video stated that this was due to the network of tunnels and trenches, or as some call it "the Gaza under Gaza."
It claimed that during the 2008 offensive, Israel managed only to cross the first lines of defense, and failed to cross the fourth line of defense due to the density of trenches and tunnels, before its forces withdrew boasting about what the video calls a "fictitious victory."
For people to resist on their own land and champion their cause, asserted the video, they must build fortifications and trenches: "The promotion of the culture of defenses among people and the mujahideen is a pivotal point capable of tilting the course of the battle, the success of which is achievable by unifying and directing all military and civilian resources."
It then recommended building tunnels, trenches, and sand berms around every village, town, and city, as well as underground hospitals, shelters under homes, and a large community refuge in every area: "Building defensive lines and a tunnel network at the fronts of contact with the enemy is essential. The result is a set of secure citadels [from which] to defend Muslim areas and serve as launchpad to liberate the land, Allah willing."
HTS Construction And Use Of Tunnels
On August 26, 2021, a pro-HTS Telegram channel shared photographs released by the organization's official Amjad Media outlet, documenting HTS "excavation and fortification companies" in the countryside west of Aleppo digging tunnels. [63]
HTS fighters digging tunnels in the countryside west of Aleppo.
HTS fighters digging tunnels in the countryside west of Aleppo.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency released on June 19, 2020, photos of men digging tunnel s in Jabal Al-Zawiya area, south Idlib province.­­ [64]
HTS photos showing men digging tunnels in Idlib.
In a video posted on September 11, 2019, on a pro-HTS Telegram channel, cleric Abu Islam Al-Hamwi urges residents in the "liberated areas' to dig tunnels and build trenches to protect the mujahideen from indiscriminate bombardment. [65] HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency published on August 26, 2019, an article by HTS military commander Faysal Al-Khalidi on the topic of "Strategic Bombing," claiming that the regime's strategy of bombing rebel infrastructure to force the population to surrender will fail, because the people of Idlib were determined to resist at all costs. He suggested several ways to resist regime bombing, including ensuring that important infrastructure installations were not grouped close together, creating alternate installations, building trenches and tunnels for defense, shooting down enemy aircraft, and bombing enemy airfields. [66]
Pro-HTS cleric urges residents in HTS-held territory to dig tunnels, trenches to protect fighters.
The pro-HTS Telegram channel Akhbar Al-Sahel Al-Shami based in Syria published on August 28, 2019, a post stressing the importance of fortifications and digging of trenches and tunnels. According to the video, Gaza, Vietnam, Jobar [near Damascus, in Syria] and the Syrian town of Kabanah were "terrifying examples for the enemies" for their underground tunnels. The post urged people to collaborate with money, manpower and tools to turn fortification into a culture in the rebel-controlled areas. [67]
Video on pro-HTS Telegram channel shows video encouraging tunnel construction.
Dr. Bassam Sahyouni, head of the HTS-affiliated Shura Council of the General Conference of the Syrian Revolution, urged on May 6, 2019, for the military strategy of digging tunnels become a "popular culture" throughout rebel-controlled Syria, noting the tactic's effectiveness in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Palestine, and Syria. [68]
HTS official calls for tunnel construction to become "popular culture" in HTS-held territory.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency released on February 5, 2019, a poster highlighting the nature of trench and tunnel warfare, recalling their use by Prophet Muhammad. [69]
HTS media outlet reminds readers that Prophet Muhammad fought using tunnels and trenches.
The Al-Fath Al-Mubin operations room, on August 13, 2019, killed two Syrian soldiers and wounded three others in Al-Kabinah, northeast of Latakia. HTS supporter Abu Shiro Al-Kurdi commented that Russian forces used a new tactic in Al-Kabinah, attempting to destroy rebel tunnels with bulldozers, but the mujahideen destroyed two bulldozers, preventing other regime vehicles from advancing or retreating. [70]
HTS supporter describes how HTS fighters destroyed Russian bulldozers to prevent them from destroying tunnels.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency published on September 12, 2019, an article by military commander Faysal Al-Khalidi on the topic of tunnels; Al-Khalidi writes that tunnels are an effective means of defending against bombing, carrying out surprise attacks, and transporting fighters and equipment while evading enemy surveillance, as well as attacking behind enemy lines and firing missiles without the launch sites being detected by the enemy, as the "Palestinian resistance" in Gaza has done successfully. [71]
An article by an HTS commander on the importance of tunnels.
HTS Construction And Use Of Trenches
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency published on July 3, 2019, an interview with HTS military spokesman Abu Khaled Al-Shami who said that the mujahideen had killed nearly 1,000 Syrian soldiers in the ongoing fighting. He praised the locals for taking part in digging trenches and fortifying the mujahideen posts. He addressed those who have reconciled with the regime and urged them not to get their sons fight alongside the regime. [72]
HTS military spokesman Abu Khaled Al-Shami praises locals for helping to dig trenches.
A Syria-based pro-HTS Telegram channel shared on June 17, 2019, a video showing an HTS fighter stressing the importance of digging trenches, saying they save the lives of the mujahideen. He urged those who were in the area where no battles were taking place to dig trenches and fortify their villages. [73]
An HTS fighter stresses the life-saving importance of trenches and encourages residents to dig them.
Syria-based Pro-HTS Shamuna Agency published on September 16, 2019, a short video clip showing a civilian digging a defensive trench and delivering a message urging all civilians in the Idlib area to help the mujahideen against the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran. The video is captioned with the hashtag #Jahid_Binafsak ("wage jihad with your soul"). [74]
Pro-HTS media shows a civilian digging a trench and calling on others to do the same.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency published on February 25, 2020, a video showing HTS fighters digging and reinforcing trench es around the city of Idlib. [75]
HTS fighters dig and reinforce trenches around Idlib.
HTS's Amjad Video Productions released on March 16, 2020, a "da'wa [preaching, invitation to Islam]" video featuring HTS preacher Shurayh Al-Homsi digging defensive trench es and urging others to dig fortifications to defend Islam. [76]
An HTS video shows a preacher digging a defensive trench and calling on others to do the same.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency shared on April 15, 2020, on Telegram a series of photos showing HTS fighters digging trench es in west Aleppo governorate. [77]
HTS fighters dig trenches in western Aleppo.
HTS released on May 18, 2020, a two-minute video showing the group's fighters in trench es in the Turkmen Mountains northeast of Latakia; the fighters assure local civilians that they will defend their lives and honor and vow to the Assad regime that "what was taken by force will return by force." [78]
An HTS video shows fighters in trenches in the Turkmen Mountains northeast of Latakia.
HTS Construction And Use Of Fortifications
The Ansar Al-Din Front, one of the factions in the Stand Firm operations room, released on July 27, 2020, photos of its fighters dig ging fortifications at the front in Jabal Al-Zawiyah. [79]
HTS fighters dig fortifications in Jabal Al-Zawiyah.
HTS released on May 25, 2020, photos showing the group's fighters dig ging fortifications in the Idlib countryside. [80]
HTS fighters dig fortifications in the Idlib countryside.
HTS published on May 5, 2020, photos of its fighters dig ging fortifications at their positions on the front lines. [81]
HTS fighters dig fortifications.
HTS fighters dig fortifications.
HTS media outlet Ebaa' news agency published on April 27, 2020, photos of HTS fighters stationed at the front breaking their Ramadan fast and digging fortifications. [82]
HTS fighters break their fast during Ramadan after digging fortifications.
HTS Amjad Video Productions released on August 26, 2019, a da'wa video titled, "Take Caution," in which HTS cleric Abu Al-Walid Al-Hanafi addresses a group of HTS fighters, urging them to protect themselves against the enemy by digging fortifications, using camouflage, etc. [83]
HTS cleric Abu Al-Walid Al-Hanafi urges fighters to dig fortifications.
HTS's northern brigade in Syria announced on September 9, 2019, it was recruiting specialists for its anti-tank, anti-aircraft, armored vehicles, air surveillance, fortification digging, mortars, sniper, and explosives divisions; fighters accepted for work in the above areas will receive an additional bonus besides the regular salary of a fighter. Potential recruits should contact Abu Salih on Telegram @abosalh8811 or at Turkish WhatsApp number 905-512409373. [84]
HTS notice saying it seeks fortification specialists.
Hizbullah, Its Tunnels, And The October 7 Massacre In Israel
Hizbullah, an Iran-backed Lebanese Shi'a designated terrorist organization, acts as a state within a state in Lebanon. The group's powerful military has for decades been planning a major invasion of Israel using tunnels. Hizbullah is currently on the back foot following Israeli attacks targeting the group's tunnel network and leadership. Lebanese media outlets have reported on the construction of tunnels on the Lebanon-Israel border by Hizbullah. Various groups and leaders have discussed the matter and its ramifications for Lebanon. As of August 15, 2024, some Israeli analysts were saying that Hizbullah's tunnel network, parts of which are big enough to drive large vehicles through, is more elaborate than Hamas's. If so, it could have been used to hold hostages for an extended period of time , and would have made it difficult to destroy Hizbullah's arsenal of rockets and missiles, of which the group was thought to have around 150,000. [85]
The group is believed to have begun digging tunnels, in close coordination between Iran and North Korea, after the 2006 Lebanon War. Iran's inspiration for the Hizbullah tunnels came from the experience and expertise of North Korea in digging tunnels under the Korean Demilitarized Zone. [86] There were an estimated 100 miles of Hizbullah tunnels under southern Lebanon believed to connect Beirut to the Beqaa Valley along the Syria-Lebanon border. One such tunnel is said to be 28 miles long. [87] Throughout October 2024, the Israeli military reported that it had discovered tunnels and bunkers that Hizbullah had built along the Israel-Lebanon border and in southern Lebanon generally. A video showing one such bunker situated across a half a mile of land that the helicopter missiles, mortar shells, files, ammunition, motorcycles, and enough food and supplies to last for days for Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit. [88] A device for collecting solar electricity was found in one of the bunkers, as was an explosive comprising eight connected mines that, according to Israeli officers, could be used to blow up the border wall, allowing fighters to breach it. [89] The IDF reportedly destroyed 250 meters of tunnels and underground facilities used by Hezbollah's Radwan Unit that had been holding weapons and combat packs and housing command centers and living quarters with showers, a kitchen, and stockpiles of food. [90] The IDF also destroyed a shorter tunnel that crossed the Lebanon-Israel border. [91]
Hizbullah Statements And Publications Featuring Tunnels
On October 8, 2024, Hizbullah released a video that shows footage of armed operatives on motorcycles, and one operative who appears to be poised to enter the opening of a tunnel, apparently conveying that Hizbullah can send fighters to infiltrate Israel via tunnels. [92]
A Hizbullah video shows operatives on motorcycles near a tunnel entrance.
A Hizbullah video shows a tunnel entrance.
On October 15, 2024, the military media of Lebanese Hizbullah published a 110-second video on Telegram threatening Israel's northern city of Haifa with catastrophic strikes, stating that the attacks would turn the city into a disaster area, as shown in the video. The video also shows operatives arriving on their motorcycles to what later appeared to be a door to an underground tunnel. [93]
A Hizbullah video showing a fighter loading rockets in a tunnel.
On August 16, 2024, Telegram channels affiliated with Lebanese Hizbullah published a new video titled, "Imad 4," which refers to an underground facility where the film shows trucks carrying weapons and men riding motorcycles inside large illuminated tunnels. [94]
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below
A Hizbullah video showing the group's tunnel network.
A Hizbullah video showing the group's tunnel network.
The Twitter account of pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) shared on July 16, 2023, a Lebanese Hizbullah video showing fighters from Hizbullah simulating an infiltration of Israel and the seizure of an Israeli military outpost. The fighters can be seen emerging from tunnels. [95]
Al-Manar TV aired on August 16, 2019, a report about a pro-Hizbullah motorcycle procession that rode along the Israel-Lebanon border near the village of Aitaroun. Riding past Israeli military outposts, the motorcyclists displayed Hizbullah flags, and they ran over an image of the Israeli flag. The motorcyclists told the reporter that they were steadfast on their land, that they were ready to answer any call from then Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and that they were ready to enter northern Israel, whether underground or above ground. The motorcyclists chanted: "We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah!" [96]
Then-Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah appeared on January 26, 2019, on the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen TV in an appearance that also aired also on Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV (Lebanon). Nasrallah said that Hizbullah has a complete plan for how it would invade the Galilee and that it would not declare its plans unless Israel launched a war in Lebanon.
Nasrallah said that Hizbullah would decide whether to invade or not depending on how such a war developed, and that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot were wrong when they said that the threat of Hizbullah tunnels in the Galilee was over. He said: "Personally, I laughed a lot when I heard Netanyahu and Eizenkot say that the threat of a [Hizbullah] operation in the Galilee was over when the tunnels were discovered. There is a fundamental flaw in this line of thought because the Galilee operation does not depend on tunnels. There is also a flaw in the details of this assessment, because how do they know that all the tunnels have been exposed?" [97]
Click here to view the clip of Hassan Nasrallah.
On May 25, 2016, the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is known for its open support for Hizbullah, published a front- page article celebrating "Liberation Day," i.e. the 16th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon. The article, said that alongside its fighting in Syria, Hizbullah was continuing its activity against Israel, the article also reports that resistance fighters work day and night along the Israeli border, "conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep." It also states that in fighting "tafkiri organizations," Hizbullah has encountered an enemy that excavates tunnels, after becoming accustomed to being the only one digging them; in fact, it was Hizbullah that taught other resistance fighters, particularly Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the tunnel doctrine. [98]
In 2017 there were a number of reports in the Lebanese press regarding military activity by Hizbullah south of the Litani River, on the Lebanon-Israel border, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and on the organization's increasing strength in the last few years, especially due to its military involvement in the Syria war. The Lebanese press reported, inter alia, that Hizbullah has tunnels on the Israeli border and that it possesses advanced weapons provided by Iran and Syria that disrupt the balance of power vis-à-vis Israel. This tunnel building by Hizbullah seems to have been uninterrupted, despite the presence of over 10,000 UNIFIL peacekeepers.
It has also been reported that Hizbullah was cooperating with Hamas's military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. One such report on Hizbullah's preparations for a confrontation with Israel appeared, on January 18, 2017, in the Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal, owned by Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, a prominent political rival of Hizbullah. This report indicates that Hizbullah operates south of the Litani River, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits this. It said: "Hizbullah has concealed forward positions on the international border [between Lebanon and Israel], including tunnels it dug over 10 years ago, especially in the Al-Labouna area, south of Al-Naqoura. [This area] overlooks the Palestinian coast and the [Israeli] towns of Shlomi and Nahariya." [99] One report said that "Hizbullah had trained Hamas" in digging tunnels. in January 2024 that the organization had determined that Hizbullah's tunnel network under south Lebanon is larger and more sophisticated the tunnel network under Gaza. Tal Beeri of Alma Research reportedly found a map online that may reveal the location of many of Hizbullah's tunnels in south Lebanon. [100]
A map found online reportedly outlining the locations of Hizbullah tunnels in south Lebanon.
Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) aired on July 15, 2022, a report about a railroad tunnel in the border between Israel and Lebanon that has been "occupied" by Israel since 1948. Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, who is from Hizbulllah, said that Lebanon has the "right" to the tunnel, and that Lebanon must regain "every last inch" of its land and sea. The tunnel complex in the area is part of a WWII-era British project to connect the coastal train from Haifa to Beirut and from there to Tripoli. Currently, the tunnels serve as a tourist attraction, but Israel blocked half of the northern tunnel, where the border crosses. [101]
Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV.
Hizbullah Digs Tunnels Under Lebanon-Israel Border In Violation Of UNSC Resolution 1701
Israel launched on December 4, 2018, Operation Northern Shield to find and destroy tunnels excavated by Hizbullah under its northern border, which constitutes a violation of UNSC Resolution 1701. Two days later, a UNIFIL delegation visiting the location confirmed the existence of a tunnel there. At that time, Hizbullah had been careful to issue no official reactions on the matter of the tunnels. Lebanon's official position on the tunnels issue ranges from denying that they even exist to claiming that it was Israel that was violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701, while Lebanon was being careful to uphold it.
Voices contradicting the official position have emerged, largely amongst the Lebanese Christian community, criticizing Hizbullah for the tunnels and expressing apprehension about the ramifications this could have for Lebanon. Similar criticism was expressed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmad Aal Khalifa, who according to one report represents the position of other Gulf states as well, headed by Saudi Arabia, which were known for their hostility towards Hizbullah. Bin Ahmad tweeted: "Does the fact that the terrorist Hizbullah is excavating tunnels through the Lebanese border not constitute a clear threat to Lebanon 's stability – and is [Hizbullah] not a partner in ruling [the country]? Who will be responsible when the neighboring countries take it upon themselves to get rid of this danger that threatens them?" [102]
IDF activity at the Lebanese border, from the Lebanese side. (Source:Central-media.org, December 11, 2018
Some Hizbullah Tunnels Dug Before 2006
The Lebanese Al-Nahar daily, known for its opposition to Hizbullah, claimed that Israel's main objective in exposing Hizbullah's tunnels at that time was to broaden the mission and authorities of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and transform it into a force serving Israel in a December 2018 article. The article quoted retired Lebanese army general 'Abd Al-Rahman Chehaitli, who until 2013 served as the Lebanese army's representative to the regular meetings with UNIFIL and the IDF. He said that the tunnels Israel exposed recently had been dug before 2006 as part of defenses against Israel, and that Israel and UNIFIL were aware of their existence even then. [103]
The Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal, which is owned by former Lebanese prime minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, a prominent political rival of Hizbullah, published on January 18, 2017, a report indicating that Hizbullah was operating south of the Litani River, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The report stated: "Hizbullah has concealed forward positions on the international [Lebanon-Israel] border, including tunnels it dug over 10 years ago, especially in the Al-Labouna area, south of Al-Naqoura. [This area] overlooks the Palestinian coast and the [Israeli] towns of Shlomi and Nahariya." [104]
Lebanese Daily: Hizbullah Has Stationed Its Elite Unit In Shab'a Farms Area In South Lebanon, On High Alert And With Special Gear
The Lebanese Al-Mustaqbal daily, owned by Al-Mustaqbal faction leader Sa'd Al-Hariri, claimed in a May 18, 2017 report that in recent weeks Hizbullah had rearranged its forces in Syria and Lebanon. According to the report, Hizbullah has withdrawn its elite units, including the Al-Radwan Division, from Syria and transferred them to South Lebanon, south of the Litani, to the front with Israel. It reported further that the Al-Radwan Division, "equipped with special logistical gear," has been stationed in the Shab'a Farms area and was "on high alert."
The Al-Mustaqbal report also addressed an unexpected announcement made last week by then Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, that Hizbullah would pull its forces from positions it has maintained in the last few years on the Lebanon-Syria border. The daily stated that, in actuality, the organization has not fully withdrawn its forces from that region, but rather continues to maintain forces there as well as strategic military posts and tunnels that extend into Syria. Similar claims were also made in the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar. The daily said: "fortified positions equipped with advanced gear and located over tunnels that reportedly extend into Syria and were constructed under the oversight of Iranian military engineers." [105]
Hizbullah fighters on parade.
"Hizbullah Had Trained Hamas" To Dig Tunnels
The Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which was known for its pro-Hizbullah stance, published on May 25, 2016, a front-page article celebrating "Liberation Day," i.e. the 16th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon. The article, which appeared without a byline, analyzed the current situation of Hizbullah (which it called "the resistance") as well as its combat activity on the Syrian and Israeli fronts. It stated: "It is right to say that the men of resistance on the eastern border complement the mission of the first men of resistance [who operate against Israel], who work day and night [on the border, from] the last border point in Al-Naquora to [the one in] Kfar Shouba, conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep." [106]
In a January 13, 2014 article, Ibrahim Al Amin, editor-in-chief of the pro-Hizbullah Al-Akhbar daily, claimed that it was Hizbullah that had taught Hamas how to dig tunnels. He wrote that according to information obtained by Hizbullah, near the town of Al-Qusayr and in other areas in Syria Hamas members or armed operatives affiliated with them who had fought in the ranks of the Syrian opposition had dug tunnels and used them "the same way that Hizbullah had trained Hamas to do during the period when there was collaboration [between the two organizations] to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip and to consolidate a military plan against Israeli attacks on the [Gaza] Strip." [107]
Israeli operations to destroy Hizbullah tunnels on the Israel-Lebanon border (image: Central-media.org, December 3, 2018)
Israel's Invasion Of Southern Lebanon Reveals Hizbullah's Vast Tunnel Network, Stockpiles Of Weapons, And Military Plans – October 2024
The IDF has recently disclosed some of what it has found in tunnels in southern Lebanon in October 2024 and into early November, since crossing into the country. Journalist Benjamin Weinthal toured the Hizbullah tunnels in late October and reported on what was found there, describing, under the Shi'ite village of Rab El Thalathine, which is less than 2.5 kilometers from the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, ten shafts reaching from civilian homes in the village down into a kilometer of tunnels between 12 and 40 meters deep and two meters tall in places and that could store ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades, and AK-47 assault rifles and house more than 500 gunmen with enough food for weeks. [108] The tunnels reportedly had many emergency exits and were built over the past 15 years. [109]
Click here or below to view a video of the tunnels.
One Israeli soldier described Hizbullah's tunnel system as more "stable and sophisticated" than the "Gaza metro." Some reports also describe them as generally larger and more structurally sound than those of Hamas. [110] On November 3, 2024, Lebanese Hizbullah released a one-minute, 27-second video titled "We Will Not Abandon the Arena, Nor Lay Down Our Weapons," a quote from a speech by slain Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The video showcases an underground Hizbullah facility known as Imad 5 – named after slain Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, killed by Israel in 2008 – used for firing artillery. The video begins with armed Hizbullah operatives in full military gear entering the facility through an underground tunnel, passing by a sign displaying the name "Imad 5 facility." Inside the spacious facility, the operatives gather in front of a large poster of Nasrallah, which features the caption "We swear to [avenge] your blood." [111]
A Hizbullah video shows an artillery positioned in a tunnel.
Click here or below to view the clip
Under Kafr Kila, a village in southern Lebanon that had served as a central hub for Hizbullah, the IDF found thousands of weapons, launchers, and tactical equipment belonging to the fighters of Hizbullah's elite Radwan elite force as well as an underground shaft that ran several hundred yards, nearly to the Lebanon-Israel border. Israeli officials have said that Hizbullah had planned to invade Israel from the village. [112]
A photo of the shaft found under Kafr Kila
A November 2 report described how the IDF detonated 400 tons of explosives to destroy a Hizbullah tunnel system in a Lebanese village about a half-mile from the Israel-Lebanon border, opposite Kibbutz Misgav Am. [113] At the peak of the fighting over the village, the tunnel system reportedly housed around 1,000 Hizbullah fighters, most from the Radwan Force, awaiting orders for a raid into Israel.
IDF uncovers a Hizbullah tunnel shaft in southern Lebanon on October 29, 2024. (source: IDF)
Even with Israel's recent successes in Southern Lebanon, Hizbullah asserts that it remains strong and continues to threaten more attacks on Israel. On October 22, 2024, Lebanese Hizbullah's Al-Ahed News website published an article summarizing a speech by Muhammad 'Afif, the group's public relations director, during a press conference in southern Beirut. 'Afif stated that the group's command and control system was working effectively and that the group has restored its military and logistic support lines, with enough "competent fighters, exceeding the needs of the front." He alleged that Hizbullah has increased its "offensive and defensive operations" to an average of 25 per day, explaining that separate attacks on the same location are counted as one operation. 'Afif claimed that Israel responds to Hizbullah attacks on Israeli military targets by killing civilians, vowing that the group would continue to strike the "Zionist north and interior" with heightened "qualitative and quantitative power." He confirmed that Hizbullah was responsible for the October 19 drone attack targeting Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, and pledged that the group would achieve "victory." [114]
A media outlet supportive of Lebanese Hizbullah published an infographic tallying statistics on the group's recent attacks against Israel. The media outlet, Al-Khanadeq, released the infographic on its Telegram channel. It was titled "Numbers that Recount the Achievements." The infographic reported that Lebanese Hizbullah had conducted 48 operations targeting Israel on October 25, 2024 – what it called a "record which has been recorded for the first time since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle." It also noted that, on October 24, five Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded during an ambush "at point blank range" with Israeli forces in Ayta Al-Sha'ab, a village near the Israeli-Lebanese border. [115]
To view the rest of this report click here
* Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D., is Executive Director of MEMRI; R. Sosnow is Lead Editor at MEMRI; A. Smith is a Research Fellow at MEMRI; Z. Emile, K. Choukry, Matt Schierer, N. Mozes, Y. Kerman, N. Shulder, and A. Goren are JTTM Researchers.
[2] X.com/SpencerGuard/status/1807797393028764049, July 1, 2024.
[3] Mwi.westpoint.edu/gazas-underground-hamass-entire-politico-military-strategy-rests-on-its-tunnels, January 18, 2024.
[4] Mwi.westpoint.edu/israels-campaign-against-hezbollah-and-the-fight-for-southern-lebanons-tunnels, October 2, 2024
[8] Darpa.mil/news-events/2022-07-22, July 27, 2022.
[9] Darpa.mil/news-events/2019-03-07, March 7, 2019.
[10] Army-technology.com/news/darpa-is-seeking-a-giant-tunnel-for-underground-experimentation, August 29, 2019.
[11] Nextbigfuture.com/2020/04/darpa-looks-for-tunneling-breakthroughs.html, August 24, 2024.
[12] Darpa.mil/news-events/2017-11-21, November 21, 2017.
[13] Darpa.mil/news-events/2017-12-21, December 21, 2017.
[14] Darpa.mil/news-events/2019-03-07, March 7, 2019.
[15] Darpa.mil/news-events/2019-04-29, April 29, 2019.
[16] Darpa.mil/news-events/subt-cave-circuit-virtual-competition, November 17, 2020.
[17] Darpa.mil/news-events/2020-07-24, July 24, 2020.
[18] Darpa.mil/news-events/2021-09-24a, September 24, 2021.
[19] Darpa.mil/news-events/2020-04-01, April 1, 2020.
[20] Popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a32700671/tactical-tunnel-earthworm-robot, May 28, 2020.
[21] Darpa.mil/news-events/2022-03-31, March 31, 2022.
[22] Darpa.mil/news-events/2022-07-22, July 22, 2022.
[23] Newsmaxtv.com/Shows/The-Record, September 13, 2024.
[24] Utep.edu/liberalarts/nssi/_files/docs/capstone%20projects1/valencia_evolving-dynamics-of-terrorism.pdf
[26] Usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/06/20/mexican-drug-cartels-migrant-vip-package/74154061007, June 20, 2024.
[27] Wgno.com/border-report/mexico-begins-sealing-up-cross-border-smuggling-tunnel-in-juarez, January 28, 2025
[28] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 11328, Arab-American YouTuber Jad Manon Reports On Arabs Illegally Crossing U.S. Border From Mexico, Showing Entry Points, Tunnel, Tijuana Mosque Used As Hub: Arabs Fly To Nicaragua Or Ecuador, Travel To Tijuana, Then Tear Up Their Passports, Swim, Dig Tunnels, August 1, 2024.
[29] Fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/two-drug-tunnels-one-under-construction-discovered-along-border-in-tijuana/
[30] Justice.gov/usao-az/pr/nogales-man-sentenced-drug-charge-after-tunnel-discovered-under-his-house
[31] Ice.gov/news/releases/san-diego-tunnel-task-force-uncovers-sophisticated-cross-border-drug-tunnel-under, March 31, 2020.
[32] Justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/man-charged-trafficking-almost-30-million-drugs-through-cross-border-tunnel
[33] Justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/feds-seize-longest-tunnel-california-mexico-border, April 20, 2016.
[34] Justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/owner-tunnel-house-calexico-arrested-today-arizona-0
[35] Justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/second-defendant-charged-connectionwith-cross-border-tunnel, April 6, 2014.
[36] Csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2017/0115/Terror-and-the-Mexico-border-How-big-a-threat
[37] Ice.gov/news/releases/nogales-tunnel-task-force-shuts-down-cross-border-tunnel
[38] Justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs27/27487/production.htm
[39] Justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs27/27487/appenda.htm
[40] Justice.gov/archive/usao/waw/press/2005/jul/raj.html, July 21, 2005.
[41] Seattletimes.com/seattle-news/alleged-smugglers-across-border-dug-their-way-into-trap, July 22, 2005.
[42] Cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/9-year-jail-terms-for-drug-tunnel-trio-1.584411, July 14, 2006.
[43] Techhaven.to/February 26, 2024.
[44] Foxnews.com/world/anti-isis-coalition-destroys-terror-groups-tunnels-iraq, November 2, 2019.
[45] Euroweeklynews.com/2020/07/19/the-killing-fields-of-iraq-elite-sas-soldiers-wipe-out-100-isis-fighters-in-jihadi-cave-mission/, July 19, 2020.
[46] Thesun.co.uk/news/2988344/iraqi-army-discover-jihadi-training-base-hidden-32-foot-underground-where-foreign-fighters-were-prepared-
for-war/, March 2, 2017.
[47] Wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-hid-training-camp-in-rail-tunnel-near-mosul1488492937, March 2, 2017.
[48] Dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3476176/Inside-ISIS-s-secret-underground-tunnelsJihadi-group-created-network-escape-routes-evade
-coalition-airstrikes-Iraq.html, March 4, 2016.
[49] Washingtonexaminer.com/news/bombs-away-us-touts-destruction-of-isis-cave-system-by-coalition-forces-and-
provides-video, April 30, 2020.
[50] Japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/15/world/syria-islamic-state-jihadis-trapped-lastsquare-kilometer-baghouz-take-tunnels/#.XgJ
yW5JKjOQ, February 15, 2019.
[51] Dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3476176/Inside-ISIS-s-secret-underground-tunnelsJihadi-group-created-network-escape-routes-evade-
coalition-airstrikes-Iraq.html, March 4, 2016.
[52] Thesun.co.uk/news/7892413/brit-isis-fighters-among-3000-jihadis-in-tunnels/, December 4, 2018.
[53] Reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-islamic-state/tunnels-civilians-slow-capture-of-islamic-states-last-syria-pocket-idUSKCN1Q
D0KR, February 24, 2019.
[54] Af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1151350/us-bombs-destroys-khorasan-group-stronghold-in-afghanistan, April 13, 2017.
[55] Bbc.com/news/world-asia-39598046
[56] Chat.techhaven.to/group/NA5Xc6ypz5foSMjkz?msg=ozddpNzMZRXWatbfM
[57] Telegram/ Al-Saqri Foundation for Military Sciences
[58] T.me/c/1317826461/79
[60] T.me/Murasil Maydani, August 28, 2023.
[63] T.me/Amjad Media, August 26, 2021.
[66] Ebaa.news/opinion-article/2019/08/50565/
[67] T.me/sahelsahmi/1927
[69] T.me/Ebaa_News/13204
[70] Telegram/ Idlib Governorate Radio; Telegram/ Al-Kurdi_Tahrir
[71] ebaa.news/opinion-article/2019/09/52441/
[75] T.me/Ebaa0News/10807
[76] Telegram/ Amjad Video Productions
[78] videos.ebaa.news/watch/mQtfDZBU3i8Rl6w
[79] T.me/nasr_nasr_nasr/49
[81] T.me/alshmali_alhr/976
[83] Amjad.media/hidrakum
[84] Telegram/ Al-Kurdi_Tahrir
[85] Msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-closer-look-at-hezbollah-s-tunnel-threat/ar-AA1oSsnt?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=c75824
d0d4bb47baaf2ae1a3bc88bcb9&ei=49, August 15, 2024.
[86] In an unconfirmed report, retired U.S. Air Force officer Guermantes Lailari said that two tunnel engineers from China's People's Liberation Army had been discovered by the Israeli military. Though the engineers were reportedly sent back to China following pressure on Israel, their presence may suggest that China had helped Hamas in its construction of its large tunnel network. Newsweek.com/china-waging-proxy-war-israel-opinion-1910156, June 17, 2024.
[87] Foxnews.com/world/hezbollah-relies-sophisticated-tunnel-system-backed-iran-north-korea-fight-against-israel, September 9, 2024.
[88] Nypost.com/2024/10/14/world-news/idf-uncovers-hezbollah-bunker-stocked-with-weapons-for-israel-invasion-officials, October 14, 2024.
[89] Wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-lebanon-ground-offensive-hezbollah-infrastructure-271bfbf8, October 15, 2024.
[90] Jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-823296, October 6, 2024.
[91] Timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-destroyed-hezbollah-tunnel-that-crossed-into-israel-but-had-no-exit-point, October 8, 2024.
[100] Director of research Tal Beeri at the Alma Research and Education Center (a northern Israel-based organization that focuses on the security challenges along Israel's Lebanon border) told The Times of Israel Forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2024/01/05/gazas-vexing-tunnel-network-pales-beside-hezbollahs-land-of-tunnels, January 8, 2024.
[108] Iranintl.com/en/202410263769, October 26, 2024.
[109] Timesofisrael.com/under-a-lebanese-border-village-idf-finds-huge-hezbollah-base-primed-for-invasion, October 26, 2024.
[110] Iranintl.com/en/202410263769, October 26, 2024.
[112] Timesofisrael.com/Hizbullahs-radwan-force-planned-to-invade-israel-from-this-village-now-the-idf-controls-it, October 29, 2024.
[113] Jpost.com/middle-east/article-827256, November 2, 2024.