Opinion | Mossad's key killings bolster Israel's intelligence reputation amidst regional tensions

Earlier last week, Israel took responsibility for a deadly attack that killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. Just a few hours later, Israel was suspected of orchestrating a complex plot to assassinate a Hamas political leader in Iran. The recent, surprising assassinations highlight two major intelligence wins for Israel, showing its capability to covertly monitor and accurately target its adversaries, experts in Middle East security and counterterrorism told Business Insider (BI). However, the broader consequences of these actions are still uncertain. The dual killings have raised concerns about possible large-scale retaliation from Iran and its allies, such as the Hezbollah and Hamas, which could lead to more Israeli casualties and further destabilize the region.

ATTACK IN LEBANON

On Tuesday (July 30), Israeli fighter jets launched an attack in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Shukr was a member of the Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, its top military body and a senior adviser to the group’s leader, Hasan Nasrallah. The US government also blamed him for the 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and had offered a $5-
million reward for his capture. The IDF accused Shukr of a recent deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and said they had killed him in response. The Golan Heights is a disputed area between Israel and Syria, captured by Israel in 1967. It is strategically important and remains a controversial region in Middle East politics.

Jonathan Lord, a former political military analyst at the Pentagon, mentioned that the operation to kill Shukr was possibly based on combat intelligence. Israel identified his location at a specific time and acted quickly when the opportunity arose. Lord, the director of the Middle East security programme at the Center for a New American Security think tank, praised their impressive skill in tracking individuals almost in real time. He highlighted their capability to determine where these individuals were and where they would be, enabling them to carry out precise strikes, according to a BI report.

Bruce Hoffman, a counterterrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the highlight of the Beirut attack was precise targeting with minimal collateral damage. However, three other people,
including two children, were reportedly killed.

REPUTATION MATTERS MOST

Hours after the Beirut attack, a more significant event took place: Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas’s political wing, was killed in Iran. This happened shortly after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The details of Haniyeh’s death were initially unclear, with early reports suggesting he died in an airstrike. However, The New York Times reported on August 1 that he was killed by an explosive device that had been smuggled into the guesthouse where he was staying in Tehran months earlier. The device was remotely detonated once Haniyeh was confirmed to be in the room.

Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s assassination and vowed to seek revenge. Israel has not officially admitted to its involvement, but top officials, including the head of the Mossad intelligence agency, had promised to pursue the Hamas leaders responsible for the October 7 attack, no matter where they were.

The Mossad is known for carrying out assassinations outside Israel. According to Axios, a reputed media house, Mossad agents planted an explosive device in a guesthouse in Tehran, which was managed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and detonated it from within Iran. Hoffman noted that it was remarkable how Israel had both the resources and the skills to penetrate what should have been one of the most secure locations in Iran.

In a major announcement last week, Israel stated on Thursday (August 1), that it had killed Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, in a mid-July strike in Gaza. Hamas has not yet confirmed his death in the attack, which allegedly resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians. Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, praised the IDF and the Israeli security forces on Thursday stating that their operation was carried out with precision and professionalism. Former Pentagon analyst Lord acknowledged that Israel was very good at gathering tactical intelligence.

However, he pointed out that this strength needed to be considered in the light of some significant failures in Israel’s intelligence community before the attacks on October 7. After the tragic massacre, Israel’s political, intelligence and security systems faced intense criticism. The public struggled to understand how such a severe breach of the country’s defences, the worst since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, could have happened.

Top officials overlooked and dismissed several warnings about Hamas planning a major attack, believing it could not happen and failed to act on signs of an imminent threat. In April, Israel’s military intelligence chief resigned, admitting that his department “did not meet the responsibilities” they were given. Hoffman noted that Israel’s recent series of targeted killings was an effort to rebuild the strong reputation of its intelligence community and restore its deterrence capability. This move aimed to ensure they could effectively handle future threats and appear stronger against such regional adversaries as Iran. He added that Israel knew that reputation was crucial in the Middle East and regaining that through this series of targeted killings was essential.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace, Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)

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• Middle East
• Mossad
• Lebanon