Exclusive: What Israel's underground war can teach other militaries

Few if any Western militaries are prepared for underground warfare: the kind of visceral, claustrophobic fight that's reminiscent of Vietnam War tunnel rats and plays out year after year across the Middle East, according to a Jewish Institute for National Security of America report shared with Axios.Why it matters: The lengthy document, littered with warnings, was co-authored by a man known as "Col. David," an elite combat engineer who commanded Israel's counter-tunnel and subterranean warfare operations after the Oct. 7 attack.It contains photos of subterranean Hezbollah facilities and Hamas holding cells and tunnels in Rafah big enough to drive a Jeep through."It's really unprecedented access," Yoni Tobin, the other co-author and JINSA senior policy analyst, told Axios."The reason why they gave it to us, the reason why they want this out there, is because they really want to sound the alarm bells," he said. "Israel is one of the most adaptive militaries, arguably, in history, and they still faced enormous challenges confronting this threat."What's inside: The report lists five key takeaways from Israel's experience. They include:Synchronizing above-ground and below-ground operat…

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