Israel Targets Hezbollah Intelligence Assets Near Damascus

Israel Targets Hezbollah Intelligence Assets Near Damascus
November 5, 2024, 11:37 am

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Israel announced that its airstrikes near the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday targeted interests linked to the “Hezbollah Intelligence Division,” which is aligned with Iran.

IDF spokesperson for Arabic media, Avichai Adraee, stated on November 4 that Israeli aircraft attacked Hezbollah's infrastructure and assets. He added via his account on “X” that the party, supported by the Syrian regime, risks the safety of Syrians by establishing command posts and forces within civilian areas in Syria.

Adraee pointed out that the Hezbollah Intelligence Division serves as the central intelligence entity responsible for shaping the organization's intelligence picture, equipped with information-gathering and surveillance capabilities.

According to the IDF spokesperson, this division works to activate an office within Syria that includes collection and assessment systems. Hezbollah intelligence operated independently, under the direct guidance of its head, Hussein Ali Hazima, who was killed in Beirut about a month ago in an Israeli strike alongside Hashem Safieddine.

Adraee also noted that the strike in Beirut resulted in the death of Mahmoud Mohammed Shaheen, in addition to Safieddine and Hazima, who was Hezbollah's intelligence chief in Syria. He explained that Shaheen held a series of positions within Hezbollah and the intelligence division before assuming the role of head of that division in Syria in 2007.

Over time, he gained experience and built close working relationships with the Syrian regime and entities within the "Iranian axis." Shaheen led operations to enhance and activate intelligence and air defense capabilities in collaboration with various parties in the Iranian axis, according to Adraee.

The IDF spokesperson added that the Hezbollah Intelligence Division faced an airstrike that destroyed its facilities in Lebanon, targeting all its information capabilities, including interests within Syria.

Israeli aircraft targeted sites near the town of Sayyida Zaynab in the Damascus countryside, south of the Syrian capital, on Monday. The Syrian official news agency (SANA) reported that an Israeli bombing targeted the vicinity of Sayyida Zaynab in southern Damascus, without providing further details about the nature of the targeted sites.

Despite the Israeli military later announcing that the airstrikes targeted Hezbollah locations in Syria, the Syrian regime claimed the strikes targeted civilian sites. The regime's Ministry of Defense stated via Facebook that Israel struck several civilian sites south of Damascus from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, adding that the strike resulted in some material losses without indicating casualties.

Local radio station "Sham FM" reported that the Israeli attack in the Damascus countryside targeted three points: the city of Sayyida Zaynab, the area around Damascus International Airport hotel, and the vicinity of the town of Najha. Initial information indicated that there were casualties.

Israel frequently targets sites in the capital Damascus or nearby, often focusing on Hezbollah members or assets or individuals from other groups supported by Tehran in Syria. The frequency of Israeli bombardments has increased following the escalation in southern Lebanon, which turned into a wider conflict on September 23.

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