Israel's operation to neutralize and destroy Hezbollah tunnels snaking under the Israel-Lebanon border stunned the Shiite terrorist group "beyond measure," Operation Northern Shield's commander told Israel Hayom Thursday.
Col. Meni Librati, commander of the IDF's 769th Brigade in whose sector the tunnel breaching the northern town of Metula was found, told Israel Hayom that "we started working on the tunnels full-speed and we're only accelerating the pace."
The IDF is focusing its efforts north of the Metula tunnel, he said, adding that "I want to accelerate the pace as much as I can and I have the opportunity and resources to do it. Every tunnel has its own construction logic. When we're done, we'll be able to explain everything."
According to Librati, every time a new tunnel is discovered and mapped out, the IDF reassesses the situation ahead of its future destruction, which is one of the reasons Operation Northern Shield is expected to take several weeks.
"Each stage in this operation is challenging and each stage poses its own set of challenges, but I can't see anything too dramatic take place when we reach the destruction stage," he said.
Despite the stormy weather, which he said has little effect on the operations ("We have the necessary measures to deal with it," he says), the operation is progressing as planned.
"There are only a handful of tunnels here, and we are following our plans. The pace of this operation is very impressive, and once we have something to share with the public, we will," he said.
He noted that the teams working on the tunnels "have all the necessary means at their disposal. We are sparing no effort to make sure Metula can resume its routine as soon as possible."
"We won't breathe a sigh of relief until this operation is done," Librati said. "The challenge is keeping the secret; preparing the troops for an operational without having them figure out the overall objective, especially when so many different units are involved."
As for the timing of the operation, Librati said it was the result of the proper intelligence, technological and operations conditions presenting themselves.
Commenting on the speculation that Hezbollah would have reserved using the tunnels until the next war with Israel, he said that "this has led some to say that we should have waited for a war, then bomb the tunnels and surprise Hezbollah, but that's an arrogant statement by individuals who fail to calculate all the risks.
"There's no need to take any unnecessary chances. I'm not willing to gamble with the lives of civilians or soldiers. Had we waited for another war with Lebanon to destroy the tunnels, a few months from now an Israeli patrol could have been hit by a roadside bomb and the tunnel would blow up. Biding your time in a situation like this is a gamble and a risk. We had to deal with the tunnels now so that we are not the ones caught off guard."
Operation Northern Shield, launched on Tuesday, "caught Hezbollah by complete surprise. Their shock and embarrassment were beyond measure. The IDF's ability to keep such an operation a secret until we got the go-ahead, and then swoop in with full force and strip Hezbollah of such as important asset – that's very impressive."
Still, Librati warned against complacency, saying, "This is a complex operation waged in a highly volatile region opposite a formidable enemy. We always have to make sure we're one step ahead of the enemy."
The public, he said, "has to trust us. This operation involved the Israeli Air Force, Military Intelligence, the Northern Command, the Commando Bridge and the special combat engineering unit. We're on high alert and if need be, we'll bolster deployment further."
