How “Israeli” spies infiltrated Hezbollah? Breakthrough decades in making

In the early hours of a Friday night, “Israeli” warplanes executed a calculated strike that took the life of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s long-time leader, marking the culmination of years of intelligence gathering and operational precision.

This recent operation, which saw 80 bombs dropped on Hezbollah’s main headquarters in southern Beirut, represents a dramatic shift in “Israel’s” intelligence capabilities and its fight against Hezbollah, a regional foe that has evaded “Israeli” efforts for nearly four decades.

Read more: PHOTO - ‘Israel’ confirms using 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs in Beirut strike

“Israel's” prior attempts to eliminate Nasrallah –three of them in the 2006 war– saw them failing to penetrate his concrete bunkers.

The recent assassination attempt succeeded; the change, according to “Israeli” and former intelligence officials, stems from a multi-decade reorientation of its intelligence strategies, particularly focusing on the entirety of Hezbollah’s infrastructure, from its political wing to its deep ties with Iran and Syria – according to an in-depth report published by the “Financial Times”.

Read more: Who is Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah?

Following the 2006 war, which did not succeed in delivering a decisive blow to Hezbollah, “Israel’s” intelligence Unit 8200 and the military intelligence directorate, Aman, intensified their data-gathering on Hezbollah.

Instead of focusing solely on Hezbollah’s military wing, they began to study its broader structure and its connections to key regional actors like Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and Syria’s Assad regime.

Miri Eisin, a former “Israeli” intelligence officer, explained that “Israel” shifted its view of Hezbollah from a guerrilla organization to a complex “terror army,” forcing “Israel” to study its inner workings with a new level of scrutiny.

As Hezbollah expanded its influence, particularly during the Syrian civil war, the group became more vulnerable.

Its fighters, previously disciplined and secretive, were now more exposed, sharing information with Syria’s often corrupt intelligence agencies and Russian intelligence, which was closely monitored by U.S. and “Israeli” operatives.

This overextension weakened Hezbollah’s internal controls, allowing “Israel” to infiltrate its ranks and gain critical intelligence on its operations.

Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria also provided the Israeli Occupation with a treasure trove of publicly available data, including martyr posters and social media updates from funeral gatherings.

Hezbollah regularly publishes “Martyr posters”, which include small pieces of information, including the town from which the fighter was from, where he was killed, and his friends and family posting the news on social media.

The funeral processions also exposed senior leaders out of hiding, even if briefly.

Read more: Reuters: Over 1,500 Hezbollah fighters out of action following pager explosions

This wealth of information, combined with “Israel’s” advanced surveillance technology, enabled them to track movements, identify key operatives, and monitor Hezbollah commanders.

“Israel’s” technological advantage, bolstered by spy satellites and drone capabilities, allowed it to gather immense amounts of data. This data was processed by specialized units like Unit 9900, which used algorithms to analyze terabytes of visual information.

Over time, “Israel” compiled a vast database of Hezbollah’s targets, enabling its air force to strike over 3,000 Hezbollah positions in the early days of the current conflict.

Hezbollah’s complacency, combined with its stretched resources due to its support for Assad, gave “Israel” the opportunity it needed to strike.