📰 4 sources 21 articles · 19 Oct 2026, 11:14 → 24 days ago

Tunnel discovered in Fanar, North Metn; army says it contained no weapons

On 19 October 2026, security forces found a tunnel in a pine forest near the Roueissat al-Jadida area, within the Fanar municipality's boundaries in North Metn, and army intelligence and the municipality examined it. The army command said the tunnel was about 13 metres long and contained no weapons or military equipment, and that a suspect was arrested, while accounts differed over the nature of the find and its purpose.

📍 Where things stand: Investigations are ongoing to determine the tunnel's purpose and the circumstances of its digging, after the army announced it contained no weapons or equipment and that a suspect in its digging was arrested.

⏱️ Timeline

19 Oct 2026, 11:14 Lebanese security forces found a tunnel in a pine forest adjacent to the Roueissat al-Jadida area in North Metn, on property belonging to the Fanar municipality, estimated at about 20 metres long and connected to a staircase leading to a yard and then another staircase. Lebanon Debate reported that the municipal police discovered the tunnel, and that an unidentified person fled when the security forces arrived; army intelligence came to the site and imposed a security cordon.
19 Oct 2026, 11:50 Kataeb Party leader Samir Gemayel raised the level of his political position after the tunnel's discovery in Metn, stressing that the state must decide.
19 Oct 2026, 11:59 A security meeting was held in Baabda chaired by Aoun to discuss the file of the tunnel discovered in North Metn.
19 Oct 2026, 13:25 The Lebanese army finished its inspection of the tunnel found in the Metn area, without publishing further details on its nature or the circumstances of its discovery.
19 Oct 2026, 13:32 Lebanon Debate's correspondent reported that what was found at the site was not a tunnel but a pit about ten metres deep, explaining this by the absence of an exit, and that the relevant municipality would close it.
19 Oct 2026, 13:42 The head of the Fanar municipality said the municipality had found a tunnel two days earlier and backfilled it, suggesting it was used for smuggling.
19 Oct 2026, 14:24 The Lebanese army command announced that the tunnel found in the Fanar area is about 13 metres long — 5 metres vertical and 8 metres horizontal — and contains no weapons or military equipment; several individual pits were seized inside it and a person suspected of taking part in digging it was arrested, while investigations continue to determine its intended use.
19 Oct 2026, 15:49 MTV Lebanon reported that the tunnel was found in a pine forest in the Fanar - Zaaitriyeh area, that an unidentified person fled the site as soon as the security forces arrived, and that army intelligence began its investigations.
19 Oct 2026, 18:00 Euronews reported that the army announced that a tunnel about 13 metres long, discovered in a wooded area between Zaaitriyeh and Sabtiyeh near the town of Fanar, was free of weapons and military equipment, and that a person suspected of taking part in the digging was arrested, with accounts differing on its purpose between searching for gold and storing banned materials, while President Joseph Aoun stressed enforcing the laws, preventing armed displays and confiscating weapons.
19 Oct 2026, 20:19 MTV Lebanon reported that young men found the tunnel by chance in a wooded area at the Bouchrieh outskirts toward Fanar, on the edge of the Zaaitriyeh area, with its entrance covered by tree branches; the Fanar municipal police explored it and then informed the army, which sent specialised units and completed the inspection over more than five hours.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Length of the tunnel

about 20 metres according to Lebanon Debate
about 13 metres (5 metres vertical and 8 metres horizontal) according to MTV Lebanon

Nature of the find

a pit about ten metres deep, not a tunnel, with no exit according to lebanon debate
a tunnel about 13 metres long with several individual pits seized inside according to MTV Lebanon

Who found the tunnel

the municipal police discovered the tunnel according to Lebanon Debate
young men found it by chance, then the Fanar municipal police explored it and informed the army according to MTV Lebanon
the head of the Fanar municipality: the municipality found the tunnel two days earlier and backfilled it according to lebanon debate

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

Lebanon Debate focused on the discovery's details and the shifting accounts of what was found, MTV Lebanon focused on the army statement, the tunnel's dimensions, the location and footage from inside, aljadeed limited itself to reporting that the army issued a statement, and Euronews added wider context on the accounts of the tunnel's purpose and the president's position.

Lebanon Debate It opened with the initial discovery details (the location, the estimated length of about 20 metres, an unidentified person fleeing, army intelligence arriving), then relayed its correspondent's account that the find was a pit about 10 metres deep that the municipality would close, and published the army statement on the tunnel's dimensions and the suspect's arrest.
MTV Lebanon It focused on the army's announcement that the inspection was completed, carried the army command's statement with exact dimensions (5 metres vertical and 8 horizontal) and the seizure of individual pits, and later added the geographic location (Zaaitriyeh - Bouchrieh outskirts toward Fanar), that the entrance was covered with tree branches and that young men had found it.
aljadeed It limited itself to noting that the Lebanese army issued a statement after the tunnel's discovery in Metn, without details on the circumstances of the discovery or the party concerned.
Euronews.com It provided the broader context: the tunnel's location between Zaaitriyeh and Sabtiyeh near Fanar, the differing accounts of its purpose (searching for gold or storing banned materials), and President Joseph Aoun's stress on enforcing laws, preventing armed displays and confiscating weapons.