Operation Northern Shield: IDF located additional Hezbollah tunnel.

IDF confirms additional tunnel after Hezbollah militants approached Israeli border; Netanyahu praises Mossad for success in Lebanon, Syria and thwarting weapons transfers; Netanyahu confirms conversation with Putin; Hezbollah: Entire Israeli homefront is exposed, even Tel Aviv.

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The IDF confirmed over the weekend that it had located an additional Hezbollah tunnel as part of Operation Northern Shield.

The IDF located the tunnel after 3 Hezbollah militants approached Israel’s border over the weekend. IDF forces shot at the militants who retreated from the border. An IDF spokesperson confirmed the militants were attempting to “use the adverse weather conditions to destroy or take sensors that we deployed,” in reference to heavy rains in Israel and the Middle East over the weekend.

The IDF confirmed the tunnel, releasing the statement “Our troops just exposed a second attack tunnel that Hezbollah dug from Lebanon into Israel. Hezbollah planned to use this tunnel to carry out an attack against Israeli civilians. We won’t let them.” The UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, also confirmed it located a tunnel reported by the IDF last week.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Operation Northern Shield as part of Israel and Russia’s regional military coordination. His office confirmed “The two agreed that security delegations from the two countries will meet soon and that a meeting between the leaders would be coordinated. Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s policy to prevent the establishment of an Iranian presence in Syria and to act against Iranian and Hezbollah aggression.”

Speaking during an event for the Mossad, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s right to defense and security. He spoke of Hezbollah’s weapons and tunnels, stating “Hezbollah has two tools. One is tunnels, and we are getting rid of them. The other weapon is rockets, an imprecise weapon, but they also want precision weapons. This changes the balance of power radically.”

He then spoke of Israel’s success in thwarting weapons transfer to the terror organization over the years, highlighting the work of the Mossad. He stated “According to Hezbollah’s plans, they were already supposed to be equipped with thousands of missiles but right now they only have a few dozen. The reason that they only have a few dozen is, inter alia, sitting here in this room. It is the combination of the Mossad, IDF and our entire security system. We are also preventing them from getting that weapon, not absolutely, but to a very impressive extent.”

He added, “As someone who approves countless operations of yours, I want to tell you that I am proud of you and believe in you and how proud the people of Israel are of you. The Mossad is fantastic and you are fantastic.”

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the IDF for its successes in Operation Northern Shield, assuring the Israeli public, “we are eradicating Hezbollah’s tunnel weapon. This operation is only beginning and necessitates cool headedness and patience, and that is how we will act until the mission is completed.”

Hezbollah threatened Israel over the weekend, its deputy chief claiming Israel has not been able to carry out any attacks on Hezbollah since the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Naim Kessem claimed over the weekend to Iranian media that the “entire Israeli homefront is exposed, even Tel Aviv,” and “It is not possible for the Zionist enemy to carry out military action against Lebanon because since 2006 it has been deterred by the ability of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.”

Amir gave a special update on Operation Northern Shield from Jerusalem. Be sure to watch his update on the operation’s developments and why the Gaza events were always a smoke screen for Iranian activity in the north.