Terror tunnel (illustration)
Terror tunnel (illustration)Flash 90

Members of the Syrian rebel group Ahrar al-Sham, part of the Islamic Front coalition, blew up a Syrian army post on Tuesday by digging attack tunnels in rocky terrain - similar to that of the Israeli-Lebanese border - in an incident further raising fears that Hezbollah may use the same techniques.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported on the blast and the tunnels on Wednesday, showing how the strike was conducted on the Al Dahrouj checkpoint near Maarat al-Numaan, in the rural northern Syrian region not far from Idlib.

In the video, the rebels who identify ideologically with Al Qaeda are seen pulling off a massive explosion that shoots high into the air, obliterating the checkpoint and killing over 60 Syrian soldiers and captains.

The fighters are seen preparing the tunnel with drills before placing the explosives, in a digging process that according to the report took around 120 days.

Like Hamas in Gaza, which used UNRWA facilities to store rockets on at least three occasions and killed three IDF soldiers with a booby-trapped UNRWA clinic, the Syrian rebels were also seen to be using UN equipment in the video.

The equipment from the UN refugee agency UNHCR can be seen in the tunnel, including large plastic bags emblazoned with the UN organization's logo.

Syrian rebels similar used tunnels to blow up the Wadi al-Deif checkpoint in May, using 40 tons of explosives and killing at least 30 soldiers.

Hezbollah may be doing the same?

As noted above, the rocky terrain is similar to that on the Lebanese border with Israel, strengthening concerns raised by Israeli residents of the north who have reported hearing the sounds of tunneling and suspicious evidence of such activities on the Lebanese side of the border.

The Iran-proxy terror group Hezbollah has already launched numerous attacks on Israel from that space, including an attack last Tuesday with two explosives on the border that wounded IDF soldiers. Security sources warned Israel may be in danger of "losing control" of the Lebanese border.

Several senior IDF officers raised concerns about possible terror tunnels; the IDF has refused to acknowledge those concerns publicly, instead launching a private investigation into the issue. 

While Israel last Wednesday asked the UN to demand the disarmament of Hezbollah following the explosive attack, instead, this Thursday the UN sent an envoy to meet with the terror group's deputy leader.

Hezbollah also held a clandestine meeting with a senior Hamas terrorist leader on Wednesday in Beirut, pledging cooperation and strong ties.