Watch: Hezbollah Reveals Massive Underground Missile Base
The massive tunnel network underneath the Gaza Strip used by Hamas has long been known about, as has Iran's deep underground missile silos which defend the Islamic Republic's most sensitive military equipment from potential airstrikes, but much lesser known is Hezbollah's network of tunnels under southern Lebanon.
For the first time, Hezbollah on Friday published new video featuring a highly secretive underground facility from which its tens of thousands of missiles can be launched and stored. The location appears to be a mountainous area, given that the video is titled according to a translation, "Our mountains are our storage sites."
Hezbollah is calling the secret site "Imad-4" - after a commander who was killed by Israel in 2008, and it has passage ways that appear in some areas to be at least two stories high, or big enough to drive large military trucks through.
Lengthy tunnels and corridors are showcased in the video, through which trucks with missile launch pads are seen moving, as well as smaller combat vehicles like motorcycles or armored carriers.
Mobile rocket launch vehicles can apparently fire from out of the bunker when a tunnel entrance opens up. The video and messaging is intended to spook Israel as the potential for a broader war looms.
Lebanese newspaper Al Mayadeen suggested that it is not the only underground site, but that others exist. The publication wrote that Hezbollah "is not afraid to go to war, and is prepared for it if [Israel] decides to go too far in escalation and aggression."
"The capabilities of the Islamic Resistance, especially missiles, are fully prepared to defend Lebanon … the secrecy of the site allows Hezbollah’s missile capabilities to be immune from any preemptive Israeli strikes," Al Mayadeen continued.
Given that Iran has long had its own underground 'missile cities' which it showcases from time to time, it is likely that Iranian advisers led the way in helping to construct Hezbollah's tunnels.
Watch Hezbollah's nearly 5-minute long video below:
Watch | Hezbollah publishes a new video titled "Our mountains are our stores," displaying the Lebanese Resistance's vast underground tunnels and missile store named the “Imad 4 facility" after former commander Imad Mughniyeh.
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) August 16, 2024
Hezbollah has only used a limited amount of its… pic.twitter.com/e7S7vNnqYb
In the Gaza Strip, it has been precisely Hamas' use of literally hundreds of miles of underground tunnels which has allowed it to survive the Israeli onslaught. Small guerilla teams can strike Israeli convoys and then rapidly retreat back to the tunnels. Israel says it has thus far killed at least 17,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, but there are believed to still be many thousands more.
Given that most war analysts consider Hezbollah's capabilities to be superior to Hamas', Israel would likely have an even tougher up-hill battle if it eventually invades southern Lebanon in an effort to destroy or degrade the Shia paramilitary force.