2,000 terrorists invading from Lebanon: The front Hamas tried to build in the north
Captured Hamas documents seized by the IDF in Gaza reveal how the terrorist organization built infrastructure in Lebanon and planned to invade Israel and fight alongside Hezbollah. The infrastructure was operational as early as 2021 and continued to work after October 7.
War from the north is not just against Hezbollah: Captured Hamas documents seized by the IDF in Gaza reveal how the organization spent years building military infrastructure in Lebanon as part of a strategic plan to open an additional front against Israel. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center analyzed the seized documents and published the conclusions of its research this week.
According to the research, the roots of the activity date back to the early 1990s, when the turning point was the deportation of 415 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists to Marj al-Zahour in 1992. There, Hamas members deepened their ties with Hezbollah, Iran, and Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon. It was already discussed that the deportation of the terrorists served as a platform for the military radicalization of Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to the documents, as early as 2012, senior Hamas officials discussed with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a representative of the Quds Force the establishment of a military force in Lebanon. Later, a plan was formulated that included combat cells, rocket fire, preparations for infiltration into Israel, and the procurement and production of weapons — meaning another Hamas front beyond Gaza, the West Bank, and activity abroad.
During the events of Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, the infrastructure was already operational: Hamas launched rockets from Lebanon with Hezbollah's approval, and a joint operations room with Hezbollah and Iranian representatives operated in Beirut.
After the campaign, Yahya Sinwar pushed for the expansion of the project. Documents from 2022 mentioned a target of about 2,000 Hamas fighters who would operate from Lebanon against Israel. According to the documents, this was a move intended, among other things, to serve as a vanguard force alongside Hezbollah's Radwan Force and to carry out infiltrations into Israel.
Although the plan was not realized to the extent that Hamas aspired to, in the war that began after October 7, the military wing of Hamas in Lebanon participated in the fighting alongside Hezbollah and claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against northern Israel.
The authors of the study argue that this finding is significant: if the Lebanese government decides to enforce the disarmament of Hamas as well, it will not only neutralize another military theater against Israel, but will also weaken Hamas's grip on the refugee camps and its status vis-à-vis Fatah and the PLO in the entire region.
