JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister is asking the international community to impose additional sanctions on the Lebanese Hezbollah and condemn the militant group in response to the discovery of tunnels stretching from southern Lebanon into northern Israel.

Israel this week launched an open-ended operation meant to expose and thwart what it says are tunnels built by Hezbollah aimed at infiltrating Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu toured the operation's area with a group of ambassadors Thursday.

In a statement from his office, he said Israel plans to demand a response from the international community at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council called for by Israel.

He said that at the end of the operation, the tunnels "will no longer exist and will no longer be effective."