Israel uncovers 'secret Hezbollah terror network' on Golan border
IDF says network operates without Assad knowledge, intended to carry out attacks on Israeli soil, with operatives currently gathering intelligence on Israeli troops, stockpiling weapons and building military infrastructure
The terror network, called “The Golan File”, is currently in the preparation stages, stockpiling weapons, recruiting members and building secret military infrastructure, according to the IDF. The infrastructure and technology the network presently has at their disposal is being used in order to gather intelligence in the Israel-Syria border area. The activity of the Hezbollah operatives goes largely unnoticed in Syria due to their ability to assimilate into the local population.
Hezbollah operatives constantly patrol the border with Israel in order to identify areas along the fence vulnerable to infiltration attempts and collect information on the activities and routines of the IDF troops stationed there. The operatives apparently also use positions of the Syrian army to gather intelligence information, with the help of Hezbollah fighters involved in the civil war.
"These operatives have been attempting to establish an additional terrorist front against Israel and destabilize the region over the last year," said Brig. Gen. Amit Fisher, the commander of one of IDF's northern divisions. He warned that Israel will "not allow any attempt by Hezbollah to entrench itself near the border and we will act with all our might."
In December, the IDF launched Operation Northern Shield, a weeks-long project that uncovered and destroyed Hezbollah tunnels dug from Lebanon into Isrsael in other to carry out attacks on the local population.
The Israeli military says Hezbollah operative Ali Musa Daqduq is the network's commander. Daqduq was part of the Hezbollah force in Iraq, fighting the American troops alongside the Iraqi insurgents back in 2006. He was involved in an execution of five American soldiers there and spent five years in an Iraqi prison. After being released in 2012, he returned to Lebanon as part of a deal negotiated between Hezbollah and the Iraqi government at the time.
Associated Press contributed to this report
