Municipal agents from Khiam are carrying out cleaning work around religious buildings on December 19, 2025. Photo received by our correspondent in South Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah.
BEIRUT — In a video posted on X, Israeli army Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that the army discovered an underground tunnel belonging to Hezbollah near a church in Khiam, in southern Lebanon's Marjayoun district.
Khaim, has been the site of fierce fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army invading troops.
According to a statement, forces from the Givati Brigade, operating under the command of the 91st Division, located "an active underground combat site in the vicinity of the church."
Adraee added that this site "had already been discovered in December 2024," meaning after the cease-fire that was reached following 13 months of fighting, "then cleared." But according to him, three new entrances were "developed by Hezbollah during the cease-fire period," which implies "a reactivation." According to the Israeli army, "this type of infrastructure falls within a Hezbollah strategy of exploiting civilian areas and religious institutions for military purposes."
Notably, a video published alongside the statement shows Israeli army men walking into an unidentified building with a small, squared opening in the wall, while reporting they "are inside a church in Khiam." Later the video cuts to the Israeli army walking into what they identified as a tunnel. The soldier explains how Hezbollah allegedly dug a tunnel that opens directly inside the church. According to the Israeli army, the Hezbollah militiamen also destroyed certain walls "to be able to fire on soldiers advancing into the village." The building in the video shows visible signs of damage and is riddent with bullet holes. The also allege that the the underground passages beneath the church is part of a tunnel network that connects Khiam to other regions.
On Dec. 1, 2024, the Israeli army claimed that it killed a Hezbollah member who had "used" a church in southern Lebanon during clashes and had located this tunnel "used to store weapons" beneath the building.
Additionally, the Israeli army announced in another statement published on X that, during operations by its 401st Brigade in southern Lebanon, "a Hezbollah fighter was identified emerging from a tunnel while opening fire in [their] direction." It added that its forces quickly returned fire and killed him, without specifying the location of the fighting.
The statement added that the brigade’s forces "combed the area" and located the tunnel from which the Hezbollah militiaman reportedly exited. It added that maps and various types of weaponry were reportedly discovered, including firearms, RPG launchers, and equipment "enabling an extended stay."
