Beirut- The assassination of key Hezbollah leader Wissam Hassan al-Tawil revealed that the field leadership of the pro-Iranian Lebanese party was exposed to Israeli intelligence, which could not be achieved without infiltrating the ranks and key levels of the party.
The leader of the Ratwan force was killed in an Israeli attack on his car in the town of Khirbet Selm, 11 kilometers from the border with Israel.
A security source described al-Tawil's assassination as “a very painful blow”, while another source said the targeted officer “assumed leadership in managing Hezbollah's operations in the south”.
Observers believe that al-Taweel's massacre, known as Hajj Jawad, was more complicated than monitoring through calls and radio surveillance or surveillance drones.
As with the recent assassination of Saleh al-Aruri, the deputy head of the Hamas office, intelligence leaks to Israel make it clear that Hezbollah and senior Hamas figures can be targeted directly, observers say. Tuesday in an Israeli strike on a southern suburb of Beirut (Hezbollah's stronghold).
They point out that the party faces a difficult challenge, the extent of which is unknown, in uncovering the loopholes that leaked information to Israel.
Later, Hezbollah mourned “martyr mujahid commander Wissam Hasan Tawil” in a statement, saying he “rose as a martyr on the road to Jerusalem,” the name Hezbollah uses to mourn fighters killed by Israeli fire. Beginning of the war in Gaza.
This is the first time that Hizbullah has used the epithet “Leader” when condoling one of its members.
Hezbollah's military media released a group of photos of al-Tawil, one of which shows him sitting next to Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. strike in Iraq on Jan. 3. 2020
In addition to Mustafa Badr al-Din, he appears in other photos with several party leaders, including party secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a car bomb attack in Damascus in 2008, and former president Imad Mughniyeh. Army chief killed in Syria in 2016.
Al-Tawil is considered Hezbollah's highest-ranking military leader to be killed by Israeli fire since the border expansion with Israel began about three months ago.
According to reports, Al-Taweel was born in 1970 in the Lebanese city of Tyre. He joined Hezbollah at an early age and quickly rose through its ranks until he became one of its most prominent leaders.
Al-Taweel held several leadership positions in Hezbollah, including his responsibility for the military industrialization file and his responsibility for the foreign operations file. He was also a member of the Central Shura Council of the party.
The leader was known for his military and operational activities, as he was responsible for many of Hezbollah's operations against Israel.
He was one of the most prominent leaders who participated in the July 2006 war, where he led a group of Hezbollah fighters in a fight against the Israeli army.
Observers say that by assassinating al-Tawil, Israel wanted to send a message to Hezbollah that it knew all the movements of its leaders and could reach them. In the current rules of engagement.
Observers point out that al-Tawil's assassination was certainly a serious blow to Hezbollah, not only in terms of the loss of a field leader of this magnitude, but also because of the intelligence capabilities Israel has demonstrated to target key figures. In the party.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the assassination, saying, “Hezbollah miscalculated in 2006, and now it's miscalculating again.”
Inspecting his country's forces in Kiryat Shmona on the Lebanese border, Netanyahu added, “We will do whatever is necessary to restore security on the northern border and for people to return. We want this to happen through diplomatic channels and not. A large-scale war, but nothing will stop the return.” Safety”.
Al-Taweel's assassination comes in light of moves by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbach and EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, who visited Lebanon. War in Gaza.
The border between Lebanon and Israel has seen daily clashes since the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern settlements and a bloody Israeli response to the besieged Palestinian territory. Aruri.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant earlier warned Hezbollah of the consequences of insisting on not withdrawing its forces from the Lebanese-Israeli border within the framework of a diplomatic agreement, insisting it would mean war for Israel.
Gallant pointed out that in the event of a conflict with the Lebanese party, a large number of Israeli soldiers would be deployed, “The first thing is not to enter a war with Hezbollah, and 80,000 people can safely return to their homes.”
Israel's defense minister said that “Israel will not withdraw from military action unless an agreement is negotiated to make this possible with the withdrawal of party forces.” “We are ready to make sacrifices,” he said. They see what is happening in Gaza. “They know we can do it in Beirut.”
Since the cross-border expansion began, 182 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 136 members of the party, while the Israeli military, for its part, counted 14 killed, including nine soldiers.
Al-Taweel is considered Hezbollah's highest-ranking military leader to be killed by Israeli fire since the border expansion with Israel began about three months ago.
After al-Aruri's assassination, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel on Wednesday of the consequences of waging war against Lebanon. “Until now, we are fighting on the frontline with accurate calculations, so we are paying the price with the lives of our youth,” he said.
“If the enemy intends to wage war on Lebanon, our fight will be without ceiling, without rules, without boundaries and without restrictions,” he warned, adding, “We are not afraid of war, we are not afraid.”
Observers say it is still unclear whether Hezbollah will follow the same calculations that Nasrallah made after the al-Tawil massacre, and that Israel is caught between two options in the move, the more bitter of which is the stronger. A response that could lead to an expanded war, or an uncomfortable peace.
During his visit to Beirut on Saturday, where he met with representatives of Hezbollah, the EU foreign policy official warned of the need to avoid “dragging Lebanon into a regional conflict”. A territorial conflict.”
