In a shocking development, a report by the French newspaper Le Parisien claims that an Iranian mole informed Israeli authorities about the whereabouts of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah just hours before he was killed in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon. According to a security source in Lebanon, the informant disclosed that Nasrallah would be at Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut for a meeting with key members of the organization.
On the day of the airstrike, around 1:30 PM IST (11 AM local time), the Israel Defense Forces took to social media platform X to announce, “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.” This statement was later confirmed by Hezbollah, which declared that Nasrallah had “joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for about 30 years.”
Israeli Intelligence Strategy
The recent success of Israeli operations against Hezbollah is reportedly due to a strategic shift in intelligence gathering after the 2006 war with the Iran-backed group. According to The New York Times, Israel has increased its intelligence resources significantly to focus on Hezbollah, particularly following the inability to secure a decisive victory in that conflict.
Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, has developed advanced cyber tools for intercepting Hezbollah communications. New teams have also been established within the Israeli military to ensure rapid dissemination of critical intelligence.
Targeting of Hezbollah Leaders
The Israeli intelligence efforts have been marked by significant achievements in recent years. For example, the Mossad collaborated with the CIA in 2008 to assassinate top Hezbollah operative Imad Mugniyah in Syria. Although Israel previously refrained from targeting Nasrallah due to fears of escalating conflict, intelligence operations have intensified since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Since then, Israeli strikes have targeted several key Hezbollah leaders, resulting in the deaths of high-ranking commanders, including Fuad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil.
The Pager Bomb Incident
In a recent televised address, Nasrallah admitted that Hezbollah suffered significant losses due to Israel’s use of explosive-laden pagers and radios, which killed 37 individuals and injured nearly 3,000 in just two days. Hezbollah had begun using these devices after Israel compromised their cellphone communications, but they proved ineffective against Israeli operations.
Reports indicate that Mossad created a shell company in Budapest to manufacture the pagers under a Taiwanese license, covertly installing explosives in thousands of units before they reached Lebanon.
Conclusion
As Israel continues to navigate its shadow war against Hezbollah and Iran, experts suggest that its success hinges on a well-defined target strategy, patience, and the effective utilization of intelligence resources. As the situation evolves, the international community watches closely for the next developments in this longstanding conflict.
Sources By Agencies
