The IDF said on Tuesday that it had killed Ali Abdullah who had served simultaneously in Lebanese army intelligence and in Hezbollah, along with two other Hezbollah operatives.
Abdullah and the others were killed in a drone strike against a car near the coastal Lebanese city of Sidon on Monday.
The Jerusalem Post has confirmed that the military did not know that Abdullah was in Lebanese army intelligence before killing him, only learning this fact afterward.
The Lebanese defense ministry said suggestions that army personnel were tied to political or armed groups were false, and Defense Minister Michel Menassa said such reports amounted to a “malicious attack” on the institution.
It was unclear whether killing a Lebanese intelligence official would have negative diplomatic consequences or whether Lebanon would try to downplay the issue if it accepted Israel’s narrative.
All of this takes place ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on December 29 to discuss many issues, including how far the parties will go in pressuring the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, and what limits Trump will put on Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
IDF notes terrorists were targeted for efforts to reestablish in Sidon area
The IDF’s statement said the Hezbollah terrorists were targeted due to their efforts to advance attacks against the IDF and their attempts to help rearm Hezbollah infrastructure in the Sidon area.
Further, the IDF said that one of the other two Hezbollah fighters was involved in its Sidon atrea air defenses.
In the past, there were multiple Lebanese army intelligence officials caught working with Hezbollah, but this was the first known recent case in which Israel killed such an official.
This past January, Britain’s The Times reported citing intelligence sources, and The Jerusalem Post independently confirmed that a Lebanese army chief leaked military secrets to Hezbollah.
The head of military intelligence for southern Lebanon, Suhil Bahij Gharb, reportedly handed Hezbollah classified and sensitive information while in a room run by the US, France, and the UN interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a source claimed.
Publicizing such a revelation at the time highlighted Israel’s case of concerns about the Lebanese army-Hezbollah connection.
Although the Mossad according to its mission is responsible for most Israeli intelligence collection and counter-intelligence worldwide, it is public knowledge dating back to the 1982 First Lebanon War that IDF intelligence and the Shin Bet are more heavily involved in Lebanon than in other foreign countries.
Despite Gharb’s alleged willingness to provide the terror group information, the source claimed Gharb had been placed responsible for peacekeeping.
Gharb, according to a report seen by The Times, is only one of dozens of military officials who had allegedly leaked information to Hezbollah back in January. His presence in the security room was reportedly prompted by senior Hezbollah commander Wafiq Safa, who insisted on his presence.
The information granted to Hezbollah has reportedly given them advance notice of Israeli searches – allowing the terrorists to relocate personnel and weapons.
Reuters contributed to this report.