Underground Journey: The Tactics of Hidden Spaces - Traveling from Khan Yunis to Fordow
In the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, two key players - Iran and Hamas - have turned to the subterranean realm as a strategic advantage, using tunnels to protect, mobilize, and launch surprise attacks against their adversaries, particularly Israel.
Hamas, operating in Gaza, has developed an extensive network of tunnels often referred to as the "Gaza Metro." These tunnels, spanning several miles, provide a means for fighters to move, hide, plan, and escape Israeli attacks. They serve as escape routes during combat, sheltered corridors for troop movements, storage spaces for weapons and supplies, and bases to launch surprise offensives or kidnapping operations against Israeli forces [1][2]. Despite intense Israeli aerial bombing and ground invasions, these tunnels remain operational, showcasing their resilience and tactical value. The tunnels have grown in complexity and depth, with some being about 2 to 2.7 kilometers long and 20-39 meters deep, connecting strategic points such as Khan Yunis and Rafah in southern Gaza [2][3].
Iran's use of underground facilities is linked to its wider military-industrial and strategic posture, including concealing weapons production and command centers, storage of missiles and fighter jets, and protection of key assets from Israeli strikes. During the 2025 clashes, Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian underground installations such as runways and missile storage sites, showing Iran’s reliance on subterranean structures to mitigate the impact of Israeli air superiority [4]. Iran’s tunnel and underground usage is more focused on hardened infrastructure defense rather than guerilla-style movement seen with Hamas.
The strategic implications are substantial. Underground networks allow Hamas fighters and Iranian assets to survive sustained aerial bombardment and ground incursions, complicating Israeli efforts to decisively neutralize them [1][4]. Operational mobility and surprise are also enhanced: Hamas tunnels enable rapid, protected redeployment, surprise attacks, and kidnappings, while Iran’s underground bases enable covert missile and drone launches or storage, maintaining offensive capabilities [1][4].
The ability to evade Israeli strikes through tunnels frustrates Israeli military goals and bolsters morale for Hamas and Iran-backed groups, impacting political bargaining and conflict dynamics [1]. Furthermore, both Hamas and Iran have continuously adapted their tunnels to counter Israeli detection and destruction efforts, integrating branching routes, depth, and coordination with above-ground units [2][3]. Iran’s underground structures have evolved to counter modern airstrikes, with extensive fortifications and dispersal.
In summary, both Iran and Hamas rely on evolving underground networks to compensate for their conventional military disadvantages, enhancing tactical flexibility and strategic endurance in asymmetric warfare environments. While Hamas uses tunnels primarily for guerrilla warfare and mobility within Gaza, Iran focuses on hardened underground military infrastructure to protect critical capabilities from Israeli precision strikes [1][2][4]. Iran's use of the underground has been more stable compared to Hamas, using deeply buried facilities for decades to avoid detection, shield them from enemy attack, and maintain ambiguity about the scope of its missile and nuclear activity.
References:
[1] The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (2020). Iran's Tunnels: A Key Component of its Military Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-tunnels-a-key-component-of-its-military-strategy
[2] The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. (2021). Hamas' Terror Tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Retrieved from https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/27905
[3] The Jerusalem Post. (2021). Hamas's terror tunnel network in Gaza is 'more sophisticated' than ever, IDF says. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hamas-terror-tunnel-network-in-gaza-is-more-sophisticated-than-ever-idf-says-677367
[4] The Times of Israel. (2025). Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria, including missile storage sites and underground facilities. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-strikes-iranian-targets-in-syria-including-missile-storage-sites-and-underground-facilities/
- The resilience and tactical value of tunnels in the warfare between Israel and Hamas or Iran is evident, with these subterranean networks offering protection, mobility, and a means for surprise attacks and storage of weapons.
- In the ongoing Middle East conflicts, Iran's use of underground infrastructure extends beyond defensive strategies, also concealing weapons production, command centers, and storage of missiles and fighter jets, indicating a strategic emphasis on masking critical assets.
- The military history demonstrates that both Hamas and Iran have continually adapted their tunnel networks to combat Israeli detection and destruction efforts, integrating branching routes, depth, and coordination with above-ground units to maintain operational mobility and surprise.
- The Israeli military faces significant challenges in neutralizing Hamas and Iran-backed groups, as their reliance on advanced underground networks frustrates traditional approaches to aerial bombardment and ground incursions, ultimately driving the necessity for advancements in intelligence, technology, and defense.
- Iran's development and use of deeply buried and fortified underground military infrastructure have been instrumental in maintaining ambiguity about the scope of its missile and nuclear activity, showcasing the strategic importance of science and technology in bolstering a nation's defensive capabilities in asymmetric warfare environments.
