How has Israel pulled off such stunning and far-reaching operations in Lebanon in the past two days, culminating with the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday?
The New York Times revealed details about Nasrallah’s elimination, saying that Israeli intelligence had successfully penetrated Hezbollah’s inner circle.
The paper notes that within a few weeks, Israel decimated the senior and mid-level ranks of Hezbollah, leaving the organization reeling.
This success, it stated, is a direct result of Israel’s decision to invest significant effort in intelligence on Hezbollah following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. The 34-day war ended with a ceasefire brokered by the UN, allowing Hezbollah, despite heavy losses, to regroup and prepare for the next conflict with Israel.
Israel has spent the years since 2006 bolstering its intelligence capabilities. Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, developed advanced cyber systems to better intercept Hezbollah’s cell phones and other communications, and formed new teams within combat units to ensure that valuable information was rapidly relayed to the Air Force and soldiers.
Israel also started deploying more drones and launched a highly advanced satellite over Lebanon to photograph Hezbollah strongholds and document even the smallest changes in structures that might, for instance, reveal a weapons cache—an effort that one former Israeli intelligence official described as ‘Sisyphean.’ In the last week, the Israeli Air Force struck many of these targets.
Additionally, Unit 8200 and its American counterpart, the National Security Agency, forged stronger ties, deepening the Israeli government’s understanding of mutual adversaries like Iran and Hezbollah.
Israel took advantage of its proximity to Lebanon to insert covert undercover commando forces deep into the country to execute sensitive intelligence missions.
Most significantly, former US and Israeli officials say that Israel’s daring to carry out audacious operations sets it apart from other intelligence agencies. [The report did not mention the fact that Israel has no choice but to be daring and audacious, standing alone in the world in the sheer number of vicious enemies it faces, surrounded by hostile Arab countries suffused with radical Islamic jihadism, and facing constant attacks even from its own Arab citizens.]
“They understand this has been and will be a protracted conflict,” said Chip Usher, a former top C.I.A. Middle East analyst who has worked extensively with Israeli intelligence. “They are putting in capabilities to serve their needs for the long term.”
“The secrets of their success come down to a couple of factors. They have a fairly defined target deck. That makes it easier for them to bring a tremendous amount of focus to what they do. They’re in a shadow war with Hezbollah and Iran.”
“And they’re extraordinarily patient,” he added.
