Israeli intelligence thwarts attempted Hezbollah bomb plot to kill ‘former senior official’

Attempted attack may be revenge for assassination of Hezbollah's military chief

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Israel's domestic intelligence service, Shin Bet, successfully thwarted a Hezbollah bomb plot intended to kill an unnamed Israeli "former senior official," Shin Bet officials announced on Tuesday.

The plot, set to be carried out in the coming days, aimed to kill the former official using an anti-personnel mine, which was uncovered by the Shin Bet.

“Operational preparation and the activity of the forces prevented the attack in the final stages of implementation. The personality in question has been updated by the security forces and is being updated accordingly. At this stage it is not possible to expand details beyond that,” Shin Bet officials said.

According to Ynet News, the mine was rigged with a remote activation mechanism, including a camera and cell phone, allowing Hezbollah to activate it from Lebanon.

The Israeli security agency emphasized that the bomb was similar to another anti-personnel mine used by Hezbollah in another attempted attack in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Sept. 15 of last year, which also targeted a senior Israeli official.

Most details about this incident had been under military censorship until now. The Shin Bet believes the same group is responsible for both attempted attacks, adding that it has been under surveillance for an extended period.

“The Shin Bet together with its partners in the security system will increase and act in all the capabilities available to it to monitor and thwart Hezbollah's terrorist activity.”

The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the target of the planned attack was a former IDF chief of staff, without providing further details.

Hezbollah has sworn revenge against Israel for its killing of the terror group’s military chief, Fuad Shukr, in July. At the end of August, Hezbollah claimed its response to Shukr’s assassination “was carried out with the highest degree of accuracy and success,” despite the IDF largely thwarting its planned rocket assault.

At the time, Hezbollah said its attack was only an “initial response,” leaving the possibility that the bomb plot was meant to be a tit-for-tat response to the killing of Shukr.

In March 2023, a Hezbollah terrorist infiltrated the country before planting a roadside bomb near the town of Megiddo, around 70 km (about 44 miles) from the Lebanese border.

The explosion seriously wounded an Israeli citizen, and the terrorist was later caught while trying to return to Lebanon.