In a conference call, which was obtained by TV7, former commander of the IDF’s elite engineering unit, Colonel in Reserve Atai Shelach, explained that the Hamas tunnel-network on Israel’s southern frontier with the Gaza Strip is far inferior to the capacity of Hezbollah’s underground operation. Colonel (Res.) Atai Shelach said, “You can’t compare it, it’s much more challenge, its much tunnels, its different purpose with a large scale of opportunities. It’s a different thing.” / “We are talking about the tunnels, the quality of the tunnels, the purpose of the tunnels … the operational use that Hezbollah meant to do with the tunnels. Because if I compare it with … the Hamas and the Hezbollah so Hamas use the tunnels for tactic operations, Hezbollah use the tunnels for strategic operations, and it’s a big difference, it’s a big difference.”
A senior Israeli Security official told TV7 that he does not believe Hezbollah would use the military operation as a pretext to go to war with Israel, at this stage. The official explained that the main reason for Hezbollah’s reluctance to go to war, is the fact that the operational measures that are carried out by the IDF are solely on the Israeli side of the border. The official, however, did not rule out the possibility that the operation may escalate into violence, although it seems that neither side is keen on a wide-scale conflagration.