Security Forces Discover Tunnel in Matn District Near Beirut
Security forces in Lebanon discovered a tunnel in a pine grove in the Matn district near Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, prompting a military intelligence investigation amid rising tensions.
Security forces in Lebanon discovered a tunnel Monday morning inside a pine grove near the Rouwaisat al-Jadida neighborhood in the Matn district, an area considered a stronghold of Hezbollah, according to the Lebanese MTV channel. An unidentified person fled the tunnel area immediately upon the arrival of forces, and Lebanese military intelligence launched an investigation.
Investigation and Context
At this stage, no official details have been published regarding the dimensions of the tunnel, its purpose, contents, or when it was dug, nor has it been reported whether weapons or military equipment were found at the site. Hezbollah has not issued a statement regarding the finding. The IMLebanon website noted that the investigation is being conducted by the army intelligence apparatus.
The discovery of the tunnel comes at a particularly sensitive time in relations between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah. Just in recent weeks, a case involving hundreds of kilograms of explosives seized at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint was exposed, connecting the Bekaa Valley to Beirut.
Rising Tensions
Tensions also escalated following another incident on the outskirts of the southern suburb of Beirut, where dozens of armed men affiliated with Hezbollah reportedly surrounded a judicial police force that sought to close a medicine warehouse. The armed men withdrew after a Lebanese army force arrived at the scene. Hezbollah later denied any connection to the warehouse itself.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called following recent affairs to expand the investigation into the explosives, against the backdrop of an ongoing struggle between state institutions and Hezbollah over state authority and control over weapons and security infrastructure.
