Israel shows tunnel 'used by militants to launch attacks' against army, civilians

Israel has showed the inside of a 22-storey deep tunnel which it claims was used by militants to launch attacks against its army officers and civilians.

The country's army revealed the sophisticated tunnel system, complete with electricity, wiring and communications, which it said is used by Hezbollah.

An army spokesman told Reuters the tunnel stretched a kilometre away inside Lebanon and crossed into Israel, near the town of Zarit.

Israeli Army officers found the tunnel system in which a number of attack tunnels were closed off.

The tunnel was sealed as part of Operation Northern Shield launched in December to find and destroy what Israel claims were six Hezbollah tunnels burrowed into its territory for the purpose of attacking soldiers and civilians.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the tunnel was "the longest and deepest attack tunnel that Hezbollah dug".

He said the tunnel was designed to attack Israel soldiers and civilians by surprise.

"After Operation Northern Shield Hezbollah no longer has the ability to conduct such attacks against Israel," he said.

Earlier this year, and in response to the operation, Hezbollah's leader said his group has been able to enter Israel for years but stopped short of saying whether his group had built this specific tunnel.