The discovery of a small tunnel in Fanar, north-east of Beirut, set off a wave of speculation in Lebanon that Hezbollah was building military infrastructure in a largely Christian area, The National reports.
The Lebanese army investigated and said the tunnel went five metres down and eight metres across, containing no weapons and no gold, only digging tools. A security source told the paper it was too narrow and primitive for weapons and may have been a drop site for drug dealers.
The episode reflects wider tension as Hezbollah resists government pressure to disarm. Recent incidents include the seizure of explosives from a vehicle heading for Beirut and a stand-off between police and young men in the city's southern suburbs. The anti-Hezbollah MP Samy Gemayel called for an end to the group's military organisation.
Source: The National
Photo: St georges orthodox cathedral beirut by Vladanr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative image of Beirut.
