Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday downplayed the risk of the military operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels sliding into a broader conflict.
“My goal was first of all to dismantle these terror tunnels without getting into broad escalation … I think the risk is much lower,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by his office.
Meanhwhile, UN mission in Lebanon said in a statement on Thursday it has confirmed the existence of a tunnel discovered by the IDF close to the blue line separating the two countries.
The Israeli prime minister met Thursday foreign ambassadors near the border with Lebanon where the Israeli military launched an operation on Tuesday to search for tunnels dug into northern Israel.The Lebanese Armed Forces responded to the Israeli operation by saying that they were ready for any developments on the border with Israel and were making efforts together with UN forces to maintain stability in the area. The UNIFIL has increased security patrols at the Lebanese-Israeli border to avoid potential escalation amid Israel’s anti-tunnel efforts.