'A sign of the tensions': Why a small tunnel sparked hysteria in Lebanon

When a passer-by stumbled upon a tunnel north-east of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/">Beirut</a> earlier this week, almost immediately alarm bells began ringing over fears it could be connected to Hezbollah. It was the latest in a series of recent incidents that have <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/">raised tensions</a> in an uneasy and deeply divided Lebanon, where Hezbollah has resisted government pressure to disarm as part of a stalled plan to halt Israeli bombings and occupation in the southern border region. The discovery of the tunnel in Fanar sparked a deluge of theories online. Some suggested that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia and political party, was building military infrastructure right in the Christian heartland of northern Matn. Others claimed gold prospectors had dug the tunnel. “You can't blame the people. It's because of the whole situation," said a Lebanese security source. "It's a sign of the tensions.” One of Israel's surveillance drones buzzed overhead as they spoke, making a return to the capital after an absence of a few weeks. Ultimately, the alarm over the tunnel appears to have been a storm in a teacup. The Lebanese army was sent to investigate and reported that it descended five metres before extending eight metres horizontally and contained neither weapons nor gold, only digging tools. The current theory is that it was probably a drop site for drug dealers, although no narcotics were found. “It's not for weapons. Maybe for drugs, but for sure not related to ammunition or weapons. It's very primitive, no way it would be for weapons,” said the Lebanese security official. They said the tunnel was very narrow and difficult to manoeuvre inside. “If it was gold I would be there, not here in the office,” they quipped. Another round of unfounded alarm followed the recent revelation that a Shiite businessman had bought dozens of plots of land in northern Matn between 2008 and 2014, allegedly to create a “Shiite crescent” there, according to MTV, a strongly anti-Hezbollah TV station. The businessman, Rida Jaffal, turned out to have no connection to Hezbollah and denied any “political or security project” or links to sanctioned people or groups. Other events that sparked alarm have been very real, and reflect fears that another round of war or internal violence could break out. They include the seizure of half a tonne of explosives from a vehicle travelling towards Beirut that Hezbollah has claimed, and confrontations between youths and security forces in the southern areas of Beirut, a stronghold of the group. “A tunnel in Matn, explosives in Dahr Al Baidar, and clashes with security forces in the southern suburbs … these are dangerous indicators that necessitate putting a definitive end … to Hezbollah's military organisation across all Lebanese territories,” Samy Gemayel, a prominent anti-Hezbollah MP, said after news of the tunnel broke. The clashes he referred to took place last week in the Gallerie Semaan neighbourhood on the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs, where police were sent to raid a warehouse that contained expired medicines, following an order from prosecutors. Upon arrival, they were surrounded by “a number of young men” – widely understood to be Hezbollah members or supporters – before the army was deployed to calm the situation. The two men were detained over the explosives seizure in Dahr Al Baidar, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has ordered the security forces to expand their investigation. Hezbollah's insistence that the explosives were only for use against Israel has failed to assuage fears, given its connection to bombings of political opponents in the past. The Lebanese army itself has come under pressure both domestically and from abroad – mainly from the US and Israel – for not being proactive enough in containing Hezbollah's arsenal. Senior Lebanese officials are fearful that if the army were to directly confront the group, it could spark a civil war. A Hezbollah official conceded that “no doubt tensions are increasing”, but blamed a US interest in “creating an internal rift” and “internal authorities that seemingly follow every American interest”. US Secretary of State <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/19/lebanese-army-bolsters-beirut-patrols-after-tensions-surge/">Marco Rubio</a> called President Joseph Aoun last week and urged him to ensure the explosives seized from Hezbollah were not returned despite its demands. For political opponents of Hezbollah, the cause of the current tensions is clear. “Look, [the situation is] delicate because Hezbollah is refusing to update its system. Remove Hezbollah from the equation and there's nothing delicate any more,” said a senior official of the Lebanese Forces, parliament's largest party, which has long called for Hezbollah's disarmament. “Everybody knows that as long as Hezbollah still has one arm left, we are at risk of another war at any time.”