The Israeli military said it has uncovered a Hezbollah tunnel network beneath a church in the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam, describing the discovery as evidence of the group’s continued use of civilian sites for military purposes.

In a statement, the Israeli army said troops from the Givati Brigade identified an underground passage during searches in the area of the church. The military noted that the site had previously been used by Hezbollah, and that Israeli forces had cleared it of weapons and operatives in December 2024.

According to the Israeli military, more recent inspections uncovered three additional tunnel shafts built during the 2024–2026 ceasefire period, suggesting what it called a renewed effort by Hezbollah to restore and expand its infrastructure in the area.

“The renewed use of this site highlights a recurring pattern by Hezbollah, which continues to exploit Lebanese civilians as human shields and systematically uses civilian and religious infrastructure for military purposes,” the statement said, adding that using religious institutions for combat-related activity constitutes a violation of international law.

Separately, the Israeli army said its forces killed a Hezbollah operative during recent operations in southern Lebanon after he emerged from one of the tunnels and opened fire on Israeli troops.

Soldiers from the 401st Armored Brigade identified the gunman and responded immediately, killing him without sustaining any casualties, the military said.

Following the incident, troops from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit conducted further searches of the tunnel network, where they reportedly found weapons, military equipment, and maps.