(Ynet News) Yitzhak Benhorin - An amendment passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday views cross-border tunnels as a threat to America and its allies, pledging $40 million on research and development to find a solution in cooperation with Israel. Since 2009, over 150 tunnels have been discovered on the U.S.-Mexico border to smuggle illegal immigrants and drugs. Tunnels have also been used to attack U.S. military personnel in South Korea. Israel is already conducting research and development in the field, largely due to Hamas' prevalent use of tunnels during last summer's war in Gaza. Congressman Steve Israel, who initiated the amendment, explained: "These tunnels are sophisticated, these are expressways underground, it's like the Queens-Midtown tunnel going from Gaza to Israel. They are ventilated, they are lit, they are massive, they are deep, they are huge, they are impenetrable and they are very difficult to detect."
2015-06-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive