IDF Givati Brigade finds Hezbollah tunnel network built under church in Khiam during ceasefire

The Israeli Defense Forces' Givati Brigade discovered a Hezbollah tunnel network built underneath a church in the southern Lebanon town of Khiam during intelligence scans on 27 March 2026. The IDF said troops located 'an underground route that had been established in the church area.' During the latest scans, troops found three new tunnel shafts that the IDF said Hezbollah built during the 2024-2026 ceasefire, 'indicating the reactivation of the infrastructure in the area.' Khiam had been cleared of Hezbollah weapons and operatives in December 2024. The IDF stated: '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 deliberate use of civilian religious institutions for military needs constitutes a violation of international law.'