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Lebanon: Syrian Minors Arrested in Assassination Case of Key ‘Qassam’ Figure

Firefighters douse a burning car after it was hit in a reported Israeli drone attack in Lebanon's southern area of Naqoura near the border with Israel on March 13, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP)
Firefighters douse a burning car after it was hit in a reported Israeli drone attack in Lebanon's southern area of Naqoura near the border with Israel on March 13, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanon: Syrian Minors Arrested in Assassination Case of Key ‘Qassam’ Figure

Firefighters douse a burning car after it was hit in a reported Israeli drone attack in Lebanon's southern area of Naqoura near the border with Israel on March 13, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP)
Firefighters douse a burning car after it was hit in a reported Israeli drone attack in Lebanon's southern area of Naqoura near the border with Israel on March 13, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP)

The Palestinian factions and Islamic forces in the Tyre region in Lebanon announced on Friday the arrest of a group of Israeli agents it said were involved in the assassination of a member of the Qassam Brigades earlier this month, and handing them over to the relevant Lebanese authorities.
It is a first for the factions to make such an announcement since the outbreak of clashes between the Hezbollah group and Israel in southern Lebanon, following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in Gaza and Israel’s focus on assassinating members and officials of Hamas and Hezbollah.
In its statement, the factions said: "After the cowardly assassination of Qassam Brigades member Hadi Mustafa (Abu Shadi), carried out by the Zionist enemy on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the leadership of the factions and Islamic forces conducted thorough field monitoring and surveillance operations, during which investigations revealed the involvement of a group of infiltrators in our camp in the assassination operation”.
“They have been handed over to the relevant security authorities in the Lebanese state”, it added.
Two Individuals in Army’s Custody
The Palestinian factions have handed two Syrian minors to the Lebanese army intelligence, according to Lebanese security sources. They are being interrogated for their involvement in the assassination of Hadi Mustafa.
A source told Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity that the detainees planted a tracking device in the vehicle of a member of the Qassam Brigades, facilitating his assassination with an Israeli drone.
A Lebanese judicial source also confirmed the arrest of two individuals suspected of involvement in the assassination of Mustafa. “The army intelligence is conducting an investigation with two Syrian minors based on information linking them to this assassination”, he told Asharq AlAwsat.
Hamas: Arresting the Operator
A source in the Hamas group told Asharq Al-Awsat that a third person, the operator of the Syrian minors, was arrested in the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp. According to information, each of the detainees received the sum of approximately 11 US dollars in exchange for planting the tracking device.
The Israeli army had said that Mustafa was a "central figure" in Hamas in Lebanon and that he was "promoting terrorist activities against Israeli targets worldwide, and was involved in directing sabotage cells and field activities to attack Israeli and Jewish targets in various countries around the world."
Record Full of Assassinations
One of the most notable assassinations attributed to Israeli operatives is the killing of Hamas leader and head of its political office, Saleh al-Arouri, in an Israeli raid targeting a building in the southern suburb of Beirut, the stronghold of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Additionally, the assassination of the son of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc leader, MP Mohammed Raad, occurred during a raid targeting a residence in southern Lebanon while he was inside with several party members.
Furthermore, the assassination of Wissam al-Taweel, a commander in the Al-Ridwan Force affiliated with Hezbollah, took place in a bombing targeting his car in southern Lebanon.
According to Dr. Riad Kahwaji, the CEO of the Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), "In wars, armies always seek to strengthen their intelligence capabilities against the targeted party, which is why Israel always resorts to enhancing human intelligence and recruiting agents for it is not a new matter."
“The repeated successes in targeting leaders, whether from Hezbollah or Hamas and knowing their movement methods and times, as well as identifying weapon storage locations, require advanced intelligence work through agents present on the ground.
“It appears that the Israeli side has succeeded in recruiting a large number of these agents, enabling it to achieve the desired hits”, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

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Arab World

Israel Says Man's Capture Sabotaged Secret Hezbollah Naval Unit

Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
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Israel Says Man's Capture Sabotaged Secret Hezbollah Naval Unit

Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)

Israel's military said Friday a man seized last year in Lebanon was a Hezbollah operative who played a key role in planning a covert maritime force for the militant group.

The military said special unit troops apprehended Imad Amhaz in November 2024 from the north Lebanese city of Batroun, and transferred him to Israel, reported AFP.

"During his questioning, Amhaz stated that he held a central role in the 'covert maritime portfolio'," which the military called "one of Hezbollah's most classified and sensitive projects".

It said the portfolio's "core objective is the establishment of organized maritime terrorist infrastructure, under civilian cover, in the maritime domain against Israeli and international targets".

The military added that it had disrupted the portfolio's advancement by dismantling its chain of command and through its questioning of Amhaz.

In November 2024, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP that a preliminary probe found that Israeli commandos used a speedboat equipped with radar-jamming devices to abduct Amhaz.

The official called his capture "a war crime that violated national sovereignty" because it involved the kidnapping of a Lebanese citizen in an area far from the fighting.

Amhaz was studying to become a sea captain at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute (MARSATI) in Batroun, Lebanon's primary training college for the shipping industry.

Israel says Amhaz was an "invisible" Hezbollah operative who joined the Lebanese armed group in 2004 and was trained in Iran in 2007.

Hezbollah has not claimed Amhaz as a member of the group.

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five areas of south Lebanon it deems strategic.

Israel says the strikes target Hezbollah members and infrastructure, and aim to stop the group from rearming.

Arab World

Hamas Official Says Miami Talks Must End Israel's Gaza Truce 'Violations'

12 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Palestinians shop in a market in the middle of the destruction in Khan Younis, after the Israeli Forces withdrew as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
12 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Palestinians shop in a market in the middle of the destruction in Khan Younis, after the Israeli Forces withdrew as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
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Hamas Official Says Miami Talks Must End Israel's Gaza Truce 'Violations'

12 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Palestinians shop in a market in the middle of the destruction in Khan Younis, after the Israeli Forces withdrew as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
12 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Palestinians shop in a market in the middle of the destruction in Khan Younis, after the Israeli Forces withdrew as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

A top Hamas official said that talks in Miami on Friday to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must aim to end Israeli truce "violations" in the Palestinian territory.

"Our people expect these talks to result in an agreement to put an end to ongoing Israeli lawlessness, halt all violations and compel the occupation to abide by the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement," Hamas political bureau member, Bassem Naim, told AFP.

The United States is hosting the discussions, with President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expected to meet senior officials from mediator countries Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye in Florida to push for the second stage of the ceasefire deal.

Arab World

Egypt Signals Possible Activation of Joint Defense Pact to Safeguard Sudan’s Unity

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the reception of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the reception of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt Signals Possible Activation of Joint Defense Pact to Safeguard Sudan’s Unity

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the reception of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the reception of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt has drawn explicit “red lines” regarding the conflict in Sudan, warning that any attempt to cross them would directly threaten Egyptian national security.

Cairo signaled it is prepared to take all measures permitted under the Joint Defense Agreement between the two countries, a position analysts describe as Cairo’s most forceful since the outbreak of war in Sudan in 2023.

The statement coincided with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi receiving on Thursday Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council.

El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s “full support for the Sudanese people in overcoming the current critical phase,” stressing Cairo’s unwavering commitment to Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, security, and stability, according to presidential spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy.

During the visit, Egypt also renewed its support for US President Donald Trump’s vision for achieving peace and stability in Sudan, aligning with Washington’s broader approach to de-escalation and conflict resolution.

For the first time since the conflict began, Cairo publicly articulated non-negotiable red lines, stressing that Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity are inseparable from Egypt’s own national security. These red lines include preventing the partition of Sudan, protecting the country’s resources, and preserving its state institutions.

The Egyptian presidency underscored that safeguarding Sudan’s institutions is highly important and affirmed Egypt’s “full right to take all necessary measures under international law,” including the possible activation of the Joint Defense Agreement to prevent any violations.

Egypt and Sudan signed a military cooperation agreement in March 2021 covering training, border security, and countering shared threats, building on a Joint Defense Agreement concluded in 1976 to confront external dangers.

Maj. Gen. Yahya Kadwani, a member of Egypt’s parliamentary Committee on Defense and National Security, warned that efforts to divide Sudan necessitate firm red lines to protect Sudanese state assets and Egypt’s own security.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that invoking the joint defense pact signals strong coordination within international legitimacy and existing bilateral agreements.

The presidency said Egypt is deeply concerned by ongoing escalation in Sudan and the resulting “horrific massacres and flagrant violations of basic human rights,” particularly in El Fasher.

Cairo categorically rejected the creation or recognition of any parallel political or military entities, warning that such moves would undermine Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity.

Ambassador Salah Halima, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said Egyptian-Sudanese coordination aims to protect Egyptian, Sudanese, and Arab national security, noting that both countries are members of the Council of Red Sea Coastal States, which plays a strategic role in defense and development.

He added that Egypt’s stance aligns with the International Quartet initiative and a proposal advanced by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the United States.

The roadmap calls for a three-month humanitarian truce, integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the Sudanese Armed Forces, and preservation of military cohesion.

The Quartet, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, proposed last August a plan for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire, followed by a permanent cessation of hostilities and a political process leading to an independent civilian government within nine months.

Al-Burhan’s visit to Cairo followed talks in Saudi Arabia, where he affirmed Sudan’s readiness to work with Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US envoy Massad Boulos to end the war.

Amani Al-Tawil, Director of the Africa Program at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said Egypt’s position represents its strongest stance yet and aligns with Saudi and US calls to preserve Sudan’s unity, halt the war, reject parallel entities, and protect state institutions.