LEBANON (VINnews) – Israeli troops from the Givati Brigade discovered an underground Hezbollah tunnel route beneath a church in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam during recent scans, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

The military reported locating the “underground route that had been established in the church area.” Troops also found three new tunnel shafts constructed by Hezbollah during the 2024-2026 ceasefire, indicating reactivation of the site, according to the IDF statement.

The area had previously been cleared by Israeli forces in December 2024, when troops removed weapons and operatives from the location, the military noted.

“The renewed use of this area proves the recurring pattern of operation of the Hezbollah terror organization, in which it continues to cynically exploit the civilians of the State of Lebanon as human shields and systematically uses religious institutions and civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” the IDF said.

The statement added that “the deliberate use of civilian religious institutions for military needs constitutes a violation of international law.”

No immediate comment was available from Hezbollah or Lebanese officials.

The discovery comes amid ongoing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding military infrastructure near the border following the ceasefire.

VINnews is monitoring developments.