Terror tunnels and nuclear tunnels after the midterms

Congressional Republicans and Democrats espouse a policy toward Iran that takes Israel into account; results of the 2014 elections may induce the Obama administration to consult more with Congress and Israel; they are concerned about lack of intelligence on tunnels in Gaza and Iran. 

With Iranian assistance and funding, tunnels in Gaza displayed Tehran’s efforts to threaten Israel. By secretly helping its ally, Hamas—the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, build tunnels, Iran laid a predicate for the 2014 Gaza War. 

{mosads}There has been a resumption of tunneling in the aftermath of fighting. Hamas officials publicly acknowledge resumption of tunnel construction. The Israeli military estimates it cost Hamas $90 million to build 32 tunnels uncovered. The average tunnel required 350 truckloads of construction supplies; contrary to using these materials in building schools, hospitals, and housing, Hamas used them for tunnels. 

After the 2008 Gaza War, Iran aided rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged in the fighting. During the Muslim Brotherhood one-year rule in Egypt, 2012-2013, Iran accelerated transfer rockets to Gaza by sea, land (Sinai and Sudan), and underground tunnels from Sinai. 

Another Iranian ally, Hezbollah, may have an underground tunnel network leading into Israel’s north, which could be used to conduct an enormous terror attack on residents along the Israel-Lebanon border. 

In Terror Tunnels, Alan Dershowitz makes a strong case for Israel’s “just war” against Hamas. The 2014 War in Gaza required use of Israeli ground forces to gain access to the tunnels and shut them down. Israel was unable to determine their routes and exit ramps in advance because they were too deep underground and not detectable from the air. 

Israeli intelligence was largely unaware that Hamas had kept secret critical details about the tunnel network; Israel relies on technologies capable of eavesdropping on telecommunications in Palestinian territories. Hamas countered by wiring its longer tunnels with cables unconnected with the local telephone grid. Such is the importance of the tunnels, Israel’s Gaza War aim changed from mainly stopping rocket attacks to principally destroying the tunnels. 

Regarding nuclear tunnels, Iran hides part of its facilities in networks of underpasses and bunkers across the country. Because it is difficult to determine what part of Iran’s nuclear program is hidden, there is a need for human source intelligence to complement electronic and satellite surveillance. 

In 2002, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition organization that can continue adding to the multisource basis for verification of Iran’s nuclear activities, revealed that Iran was building a secret underground nuclear plant at Natanz. Later, the Institute for Science and International Security determined it was for enriching uranium and released imagery of Natanz in December 2002. 

“Since 2002, the [International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA] Agency has become increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear related activities involving military related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.” 

At the Esfahan uranium conversion facility, there are three tunnel entrances. The tunneling was first discovered in December 2004, in violation of IAEA safeguards, with additional tunneling details provided by the NCRI in 2013. In 2005, the NCRI announced that Iran was digging tunnels for missile and nuclear work at 14 sites, including an underground complex near the City of Qom. The NCRI made public tunnel construction of Tehran’s nuclear activities when the organization revealed for the first time existence of the Fordow facility as an underground complex under construction near Qom. 

On September 25, 2009, the Western allies publicly acknowledged the Qom site. On the day before, moreover, NCRI revealed two additional sites in and near Tehran, where the Iranian regime may be working on detonators for nuclear warheads, one of the points in dispute between the IAEA and Tehran and in the nuclear talks. Prompted by such publicity, Tehran admitted existence of a uranium enrichment facility about 20 miles north of Qom. 

The NCRI published its revelations in a book, How Iran Regime Cheated the World: Tehran’s Systematic Efforts to Cover Up its Nuclear Weapons Program. A main finding is how Tehran keeps its nuclear sites inaccessible by using tunnels. 

Israeli intelligence was unable to determine existence of terror tunnels without adequate human sources (HUMINT) in Gaza; likewise, Israel and American nuclear negotiators require HUMINT to disclose and reinforce signals and satellite intelligence about Iranian nuclear tunnels; the NCRI has the capability, and results of the congressional midterms may spur Team Obama to utilize them.

Tanter is president of the Iran Policy Committee and was a member of the National Security Council staff in the Reagan-Bush administration. His latest book is “Arab Rebels and Iranian Dissidents.”