Israel’s thwarting on Saturday of an attempt to smuggle weapons into the country from Lebanon crystallized the duality on the northern border: On one hand, the quiet and deterrence along both sides of the border; on the other, non-stop activity that could ignite the entire front at a moment’s notice.
The bust was facilitated by Israel Defense Forces lookout posts operating in the Mount Dov region, followed by the engagement and elimination of the smugglers by a joint force of police and an element of the IDF Golani infantry brigade. It was the largest confiscation of smuggled weapons in years, including 43 guns, some with fittings for silencers—a direct continuation of the smuggling operation (15 guns, cartridges and 36 kilograms of hashish) that was foiled last month.
Although Israel doesn’t have proof that Hezbollah is directly responsible for Saturday’s smuggling attempt, it would be surprising to learn that none of its current or former members were involved. Just last week, the IDF “outed” Haj Khalil Harb: The former security adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and one of the terrorist organization’s senior officials is now a criminal operating a drug and weapons smuggling operation over the border between Israel and Lebanon.
It still isn’t clear for whom the guns were earmarked. The matter is being investigated by the Israel Security Agency, and it appears the motivation was criminal in nature. History, however, has already shown that the line between criminal and nationalist violence is very thin indeed. Moreover, often the smugglers themselves don’t know the ultimate objective of the operation. Case in point, nearly a decade ago, Hezbollah tried smuggling explosive devices across the border via criminal elements in Israel, apparently to be used in terrorist attacks.
...This is a critical matter that requires clarification, not just to understand the organization’s policies but also, and mainly, to determine whether Nasrallah’s iron grip over his people has slackened. If so, this is bad news. Hezbollah is a hierarchical organization with a clear chain of command and decision-making process; it controls every facet of its operations and obedience within its ranks is absolute. If this has changed for one reason or another, the next stage could involve someone deciding to break ranks and act independently in other areas.
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