We recognize that the Israeli entity is based on killing, violence, and human rights violations; however, assassination remains one of Israel's preferred methods. The assassination of the planners of the Munich operation by the Mossad, carried out by the Black September Organization—one of the extremist Palestinian groups—after the organization held hostage and killed international participants, including Israeli athletes, during the Munich Olympics in 1972, is clear evidence of this. Israel eliminated the individuals accused of planning and executing the operation, even though some of them fled, disappeared, or lived in European countries. Nonetheless, the Mossad pursued and eliminated them cold-bloodedly. Yes, reaching some of them took years, but the insistence on their elimination did happen without Israel declaring responsibility.
After October 7, Israel operated on two parallel fronts: the first involved military operations on the ground in Gaza and southern Lebanon, aimed at destroying the civilian and military infrastructure supporting Hamas and Hezbollah. The second was intelligence work to pursue and kill first, second, and even third-tier leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas. It is very striking that Hezbollah has been exposed to Israeli intelligence operations in a blatant manner. For years, the party boasted of its strong security structure and the dedication of its cadres, claiming popular support within its sect and among its allies, based on unwavering loyalty and ideology.
However, the growing number of assassinated leaders over the past months indicates a dangerous signal of dwindling loyalty and restlessness among its ranks, in addition to betrayals among influential leaders who possess sensitive security information. The image that Hezbollah had painted of its own grandeur has shrunk and vanished, as daily assassinations place the party in a weak and disgraceful position even by the standards of warfare.
The intriguing question is how Israel managed to penetrate the party's structure from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom on a daily basis with few recorded mistakes. Israel even hints at its ability to reach Hassan Nasrallah himself. Moreover, how has it managed to protect its sources? We are talking about nearly ten months of daily operations in which the Israeli military apparatus pursues Hezbollah leaders in their secure homes, cars, and motorbikes, even catching them while riding mules for camouflage.
The answer undoubtedly lies in the stagnation of the party’s administrative and security structures and the discontent of its cadres due to over thirty years of mobilization and promises that yielded no results, except for profit and selling slogans to impoverished supporters who consume nothing but impossible hopes and drink only false promises.
Hezbollah has long bragged about itself, its effectiveness, and the loyalty of its followers, yet it has failed in its first genuine experience that does not revolve around guerrilla warfare. Israel deliberately deprived the party of the initiative by eliminating its leaders and pursuing them, turning their lives into a long escape, with no safe house, vehicle, or farm; everything became a target for Israeli planes and drones. However, this could not happen without substantial ground intelligence support provided by an army of informants who have lost faith in the party, its ideology, and its transient loyalty.
The Israeli intelligence bank is filled with names and was not fed on October 7; rather, the infiltration and collection of precise information occurred over many years. Tel Aviv left the party to indulge in slogans and video-recorded speeches delivered by Hassan Nasrallah, whose impact does not extend beyond television screens, while it focused on surveilling and monitoring cadres, even in their bedrooms. What the party thought was a victory in 2006 turned out to be a major Israeli deception. The party's failure has reached unbelievable levels, not only in protecting its cadres who are captured like flies but also in its inability to apprehend any espionage cell to wash away the shame it has faced for ten months.
