A new report indicates that the Iranian-supported Shiite militant group Hezbollah “possess a covert tunnel system” believed to be more advanced than that of Hamas in the Gaza Strip reports Foreign Desk News. Tap Be’eri, who heads the research department at the Alma Center, an Israel-based think tank, said Hezbollah possesses an extensive subterranean network spanning hundreds of kilometers, extending into Israeli territory, with potential extensions into Syria.

Be’eri said in an interview with Radio North 104.5FM “Our assumption is that everything we see in Gaza in the past few months – all this and more is happening in Lebanon,”

“Hezbollah started building in the 1980s, with the help of Iran and North Korea, who brought the professional know-how. The result is a large system of tunnels under Lebanon.” Be’eri added that the tunnels are “divided into different types.”

“The types we are familiar with are the attack tunnels, whose purpose is to cross the fence and invade the Galilee area, but here we are also talking about strategic tunnels that allow people to move from place to place, spread over many kilometers. Unlike the attack tunnels, they allow for the movement of vehicles and even medium-sized trucks,” he added,” Be’eri told Radio North 104.5FM.

Be’eri estimated that the tunnel network is “hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers” but did not provide an exact number.

“We [Alma Center] follow what is happening in Lebanon, and we see that civilian companies, companies owned by Shi’ites, build different infrastructural projects, especially water transfer projects. You see the ability and the know-how, and to an outside observer, it is clear to everyone that this can result in a tunnel that can be used militarily,” he explained to Radio North 104.5FM.