Hizbullah uses Lebanese army infrastructure, intelligence to its own advantage

BEIRUT -- A recent report that revealed Hizbullah has secretly accessed surveillance radars in Lebanon presents further evidence of the Iran-backed party's efforts to enhance its espionage operations, Lebanese observers said.

A Hizbullah cell covertly accessed surveillance radar at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport and radar operated by the Lebanese navy without the military's knowledge, Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath TV channel reported June 23.

A Hizbullah agent also has been recruiting and manipulating personnel from various branches of the Lebanese military to help the party infiltrate security apparatuses, it reported.

Lebanese security analysts and well-informed sources who spoke to Al-Mashareq confirmed the veracity of Al-Hadath TV's reporting and noted that Hizbullah has been infiltrating military intelligence for many years.

As it works to implement Iran's agenda in Lebanon, Hizbullah has been planting its own agents in the military establishment, they said, in order to put its hands on security information and documents it can use for its own purposes.

The Iran-backed party "has infiltrated the government and its security and military apparatus, using its infrastructure for years", said Lebanese military analyst Maroun Hitti, a retired army officer.

"Hizbullah's use of civilian radars at Beirut airport and the port is nothing new," Hitti said, noting that the party also "uses the radars at Rafik Hariri International Airport for its armed drones, operating them whenever it wants".

The party is using the airport and the army's logistical and intelligence infrastructure to develop the intelligence and espionage unit known as Unit 900, he told Al-Mashareq.

Monitoring the state

"Hizbullah diverges greatly from other political parties in Lebanon in that its own security apparatus plays a central role in enabling the group to hold sway over Lebanese state institutions," Chatham House said in a June 2021 report.

Through its Unit 900, the party "engages in close monitoring of state and non-state institutions", Chatham House said.

"The unit has agents and delegates among the employees in the Lebanese state's military, security and civil administrations," the report said.

"Unit 900 also monitors Lebanon's universities, schools, theatres, media channels, international airport and seaports, private banks and commercial companies", and collects information on state institutions via agents, it added.

"In all its operations, Unit 900 effectively carries out the functions of the state intelligence or internal security agencies, except that its role is reversed, monitoring Lebanese state and non-state institutions," Chatham House said.

Through sub-units of its Transportation Unit 112 -- the Land Crossings Unit 108, and the Airport and Port Unit -- the party transports weapons, money and technology between Syria and Lebanon.

Through facilities that these units control at the Port of Beirut and airport, "goods and people enter and leave the country with no official record of their transit", the report said.

Hitti recalled an incident he personally witnessed in January 2010 following the crash of an Ethiopian plane shortly after its take-off from Hariri Airport.

The plane was allegedly carrying individuals close to the party.

"We learned that two strangers who turned out to be Hizbullah elements were dubiously present in the control tower at the time," he said.

"They left as soon as we arrived at the tower, and we later found out that all the information was wiped out from the monitoring equipment, and there was no trace of any details related to the flight."

Government infiltration

Hizbullah's Unit 927 meanwhile co-ordinates with state institutions and political parties, and makes payments to state officials who help it from within the military and other state institutions, Chatham House said.

"As an example of how it functions, Unit 927 liaison officers can inform airport and port officials of the arrival of a particular shipment at a specified time, enabling the shipment to be removed from all official records," it said.

Hizbullah is using its political power to get its supporters promoted within government institutions and appointed to high positions, a source who follows Hizbullah affairs told Al-Mashareq on condition of anonymity.

Some individuals from outside the party's base also are co-operating with Hizbullah, the source said, "either because they need its approval for advancing in their career or because they were bribed by the party".

Hizbullah attempts to sideline all those who object to its agenda, he explained.

Hizbullah takes advantage of any opportunity within the government for its own political benefit, Hitti told Al-Mashareq.

He said the party appointed three of its supporters to posts in the government intelligence office "who transferred documents to the former director of General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, who in turn handed them over to Hizbullah".

Taking away Hizbullah's ability to surveil Lebanese army capabilities calls for a detailed strategic plan, Hitti said, adding that confronting the party is necessary if the country is to have a strong government.

Political impasse

Hizbullah is taking advantage of Lebanon's economic crisis to protect its interests and gain control over the airport, the port and border crossings, political writer Tony Boulos told Al-Mashareq.

The party has not allowed a Lebanese president to be elected since former president Michel Aoun's term ended, which allows it to continue controlling the government and parliament, Boulos said.

The political impasse makes it possible for Hizbullah to further consolidate its presence in Lebanon's judiciary, intelligence and security sectors, he added.

In a joint statement issued Monday (July 17), the governments of Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States noted the urgent need for Lebanon's leadership to expedite presidential elections.

"We strongly urge Lebanese leaders and parties to take immediate action to overcome the current political impasse," the statement said, also calling on leadership to "implement imperative economic reforms".

The countries underscored their commitment to Lebanon's sovereignty and independence but "noted with concern that nearly nine months after the end of Aoun's term, Lebanon's political leaders have yet to elect a successor".

"It is crucial for Lebanese members of parliament to abide by their constitutional responsibility and proceed with the election of a president," the statement added.

"We discussed concrete options with respect to implementing measures against those who are blocking progress on this front."