Latest Developments
‘A Real and Immediate Threat’: Hassan Ali Mahmoud Bdeir — a member of both Hezbollah’s intelligence Unit 3900 and of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force — was eliminated in an Israeli air strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh district on April 1. According to a joint IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad statement, Bdeir had been working with Hamas operatives on an imminent attack against Israeli civilians. “The terrorist posed a real and immediate threat, what we call a ticking bomb,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.
Lebanese Government Accuses Israel: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam charged Israel with breaching the November 27 ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended Hezbollah and Israel’s previous war in 2006. According to Lebanese media, four people were killed in the strike. The identities of the three fatalities besides Bdeir were not immediately known.
Passover Terror Alert: Israel issued its annual travel advisory for the extended vacation for the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins on April 12. According to the advisory, Iran has redoubled its efforts to orchestrate terror attacks on Israelis abroad in a bid to avenge the decimation of its proxies in Gaza and IDF strikes on Iran. Similar threats from Hamas and ISIS operatives in various global locations had also been registered, the advisory said.
FDD Expert Response
“This was Israel’s first lethal strike in Beirut since the truce with Lebanon — carried out with no prior warning. Clearly, the Israelis judged the target urgent enough to risk diplomatic fallout. That Bdeir served as a hub connecting Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas should spark serious questions about how Lebanese authorities allowed him to operate openly in their capital.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO
“Hezbollah and Hamas have taken a beating in their strongholds as Israel’s dramatic reversal in the war continues to shift momentum. Rather than reengage the IDF and risk shattering the ceasefires that let them lick their wounds, these Iran-backed terrorist organizations are now trying to exploit Israel’s softer civilian underbelly.” —Ben Cohen, FDD Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director
FDD Background and Analysis
“Uneasy Truce: Israel’s Fragile Ceasefires with Hamas and Hezbollah,” by Seth Frantzman
“IDF Strikes Beirut After Rockets Launched From Lebanon at Israeli Communities,” FDD Flash Brief
“‘Beaten With Clubs and Metal Rods’: Palestinian Murdered by Hamas for Participating in Gaza Protests,” FDD Flash Brief