How did Israeli intelligence manage to infiltrate Hezbollah and assassinate Nasrallah?

The qualitative targets that Israel hit in its war against the Lebanese Hezbollah, including the destruction of weapons sites, the booby-trapping of its wireless communications devices, and the assassination of its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, raised urgent questions about the Hebrew state’s ability to penetrate its archenemy. How did it manage to do so and where are the gaps in the ranks of the Shiite Hezbollah?

Lebanon's Hezbollah faces a huge challenge after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah: plugging the gaps in its ranks that allowed its arch-enemy Israel to destroy weapons sites, booby-trapped its radio communications equipment and assassinate its veteran secretary-general, whose whereabouts had been a closely guarded secret for years.

Nasrallah's killing at the headquarters on Friday came just a week after Israel detonated hundreds of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies. Israel is widely believed to have carried out the bombings but has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

His killing was the culmination of a rapid series of strikes that assassinated half of Hezbollah's leadership council and destroyed its top military leadership.

Reuters reported that in the days before and hours after Nasrallah's killing, it spoke to more than a dozen sources in Lebanon, Israel, Iran and Syria who provided details of the damage Israel inflicted on the powerful Shiite paramilitary group, including its supply lines and command structure.

All requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

An informed source told Israel less than 24 hours before the strike that the Hebrew state had spent 20 years focusing intelligence efforts on Hezbollah and could target Nasrallah whenever it wanted, even if he was at the group's headquarters.

The source described the intelligence information as "excellent," without providing details.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his inner circle of ministers approved the attack on Wednesday. The strike occurred while Netanyahu was in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly.

Since the 2006 war, Nasrallah has avoided public appearances and has been cautious for a long time, his movements have been limited and the circle of people he meets is very small, according to a source familiar with Nasrallah’s security arrangements. The source added that the assassination indicates that his group has been infiltrated by spies working for Israel.

A well-informed security source said a week ago that the Shiite leader had been more cautious than usual since the pager bombings on September 17, fearing that Israel might try to kill him. The source cited his absence from a leader's funeral and his pre-recording of a speech that had been broadcast a few days earlier as evidence.

Hezbollah’s media office did not respond to a request for comment for this story. U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday called Nasrallah’s killing a “just measure” for his many victims and said the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian-backed groups.

Israel says it targeted Nasrallah by dropping bombs on an underground headquarters under a residential building in southern Beirut.

“This is a huge blow and an intelligence failure for Hezbollah,” said Magnus Ranstorp, a veteran Hezbollah expert at the Swedish Defence University. “They knew he was having a meeting. He was meeting with other leaders and they attacked him immediately.”

In addition to Nasrallah, the Israeli military says it has eliminated eight of Hezbollah’s nine top military leaders this year, most of them in the past week. They led units ranging from the rocket division to the group’s elite Radwan force.

In August, an Israeli drone struck weapons hidden in commercial trailers in Syria, the source said. Last week, the Israeli military said its warplanes struck unspecified infrastructure used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

Joseph Votel, a former general who led U.S. forces in the Middle East, said Israel and its allies could easily intercept any missiles Iran sends overland to Hezbollah now. “Frankly, that may be a risk they’re willing to take,” he said.

Source: Reuters