Israel Strikes Hezbollah Intelligence in Syria Amid Rising Tensions with Iran

Tel Aviv [Israel], November 5, 2024: The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that it conducted an aerial operation targeting Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Syria, a significant escalation in Israel’s ongoing efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s military assets.

In a post on X, the IDF stated, “The IDF conducted an aerial operation and struck terror targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Syria.” The IDF further added that recent operations had severely impacted Hezbollah’s intelligence capabilities, with military intelligence assets in Lebanon already destroyed.

“The targeting of Hezbollah’s military intelligence assets in Syria further contributes to the IDF operations in Lebanon, undermining the intelligence abilities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the post elaborated.

In addition to the airstrike, the IDF disclosed a separate mission on Sunday evening, revealing that Israeli forces had entered Syria to apprehend Ali Suleiman al-Aadi, a Syrian national and suspected terror operative allegedly collaborating with Iranian agents. According to the IDF, al-Aadi, arrested by the elite Egoz commando unit in the town of Saida, had been gathering intelligence on Israeli border patrol movements.

“The IDF will continue to work for the security of the borders and will not allow the establishment of the Iranian axis and the directing of hostile sabotage activity from southern Syria,” the IDF stated, affirming its commitment to border security.

The IDF also released footage of al-Aadi’s interrogation, in which he describes his recruitment by an Iranian agent posing as a Syrian intelligence officer. Al-Aadi recounted, “He said he was from military intelligence, but in fact, Iran was behind him. From what I understand he belongs to Iran.”

This latest series of military actions occurs amid heightened rhetoric from Iranian officials following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-backed military installations and air defense systems in Syria on October 26. As regional tensions mount, Israel continues its strategy of preemptive strikes to degrade Hezbollah’s intelligence-gathering capabilities and curb Iran’s influence in Syria.