Israeli intelligence tactics: Wall Street Journal report sparks controversy

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In light of recent revelations about the failures of the Israeli army and its intelligence services on October 7, when Hamas breached its intelligence and military systems, Tel Aviv has promoted a Wall Street Journal report detailing the targeted assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shokor.

The report claims that Shokor's phone was hacked, and he was instructed to move to a higher floor in his building, facilitating his assassination. This operation was touted as one of the most precise and skillful, marking a success in Israel's intelligence battle against Hezbollah since the war began.

Israel has been showcasing its advanced cyber capabilities, developed in recent years, which allow it to hack into phones and computers. An intelligence official stated that these capabilities are a core part of their operations to gather information on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

In return, Hezbollah issued a statement vehemently denying the Wall Street Journal report, asserting it was entirely baseless. They emphasized that the three journalists who authored the report had not contacted anyone from Hezbollah, and the story was fabricated from their imaginations without verification.

Recruiting agents, a long-standing tactic for Israel, along with the deployment of remote surveillance cameras and small, nearly invisible reconnaissance drones, are tools that Israeli military intelligence has emphasized since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. These tools are central to their strategy of carrying out targeted operations and assassinations in Lebanon.

Israel has been celebrating its military intelligence successes for months, especially following the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut's southern suburb and Hezbollah official Mohammad Nehme Nasser. They also claim to have killed five Hezbollah fighters by hacking a woman's phone and conversing with her, among other operations.

The Wall Street Journal report aimed to bolster the reputation of Israeli intelligence operations abroad.

However, many media commentators have questioned: Where were you on October 7? And where are you now, during this effort to reclaim intelligence prestige, when a small drone launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon reached Caesarea, surveilling strategic sites and focusing on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's family retreat?

The drone was detected by a nearby aircraft carrier, part of the readiness to confront a potential Hezbollah attack. It completed its mission without being intercepted, with the Israeli army admitting that their air defense system failed to detect it.