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A night arrest carried out by an Israeli special force inside Lebanese territory revealed growing concern among the Israeli security establishment about the growth of the structures of armed organizations in the Syrian-Lebanese region. According to Israeli estimates, these organizations are benefiting from the decline in Hezbollah’s influence and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as part of attempts to test the possibility of opening a new front against Israel.
According to a report published by Israeli journalist Amir Boukhbout on the Hebrew “Walah” website, an Israeli special unit carried out an operation described as successful during the night in the town of Al-Habbariyeh in southern Lebanon, which resulted in the arrest of an official in the “Islamic Group” for the Hasbaya and Marjayoun regions. According to the report, the detainee was working with others to plan attacks targeting Israeli civilians along the Syrian-Lebanese border line. The report indicated serious concern among the Israeli intelligence services about the rise of what it describes as “terrorist pockets” in this geographical area, part of whose activity is focused on targeting Israel.
The report indicated that the operation came about two months after the arrest of an activist affiliated with the same organization in the village of Beit Jinn inside Syrian territory, an indication, according to Israeli estimates, of an increasing interconnection between the organizational structures operating in Syria and Lebanon. The report pointed out that Arab media documented the area surrounding the home of the detained leader, called “Atwi Atwi,” following his kidnapping by the Israeli force.
The report quoted an Israeli security source as saying that what is happening is the repercussions of the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the harsh blows that Hezbollah received in the Lebanese arena, which, as he put it, led to the emergence of security vacuums in the Syrian-Lebanese region, especially on the border with Israel, which armed organizations are seeking to fill. He added that this coincides with attempts by several parties, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Movement, the Houthis, and Iran, in addition to parties from the new Syrian regime and other armed organizations, to reach this region with the aim of examining the possibility of establishing military infrastructure targeting Israeli army forces and Israeli civilians.
The report explained that the “Islamic Group” organization is considered a Lebanese Sunni movement ideologically linked to the “Muslim Brotherhood,” which has its roots in Egypt, and has intellectual and political extensions in a number of countries, including Qatar and Turkey. According to Israeli estimates, the organization includes hundreds of armed and trained members, who operate out of the limelight.
The report added that the organization’s military arm operates under the name “Fajr Forces,” and that during the past year the organization witnessed an accelerated process of rapprochement with the Shiite axis, which was likely the result of the flow of Iranian funds to the region. According to Israeli assessments, the organization today operates as an executive arm that cooperates closely with both Hamas and Hezbollah. The report pointed out that the danger of the organization became clear in January 2026, when the US State Department announced its official classification as a global terrorist organization.
At the operational level, the report indicated that Israeli intelligence monitored a direct link between the organization’s infrastructure in Syria, Lebanon and other regions, with a special focus on the Beit Jinn area, close to the border with Israel. In this area, a previous arrest operation was carried out and was described as successful, but at the same time, according to the report, it led to an Israeli reserve force being ambushed, resulting in the injury of a number of soldiers.
Based on the accumulated information about these structures, according to the report, the Israeli army began carrying out incursions and field arrests targeting activists involved in planning attacks that included planting explosive devices and launching rockets. The report considered that the common interest between Hamas, Hezbollah, and the “Islamic Group” organization is to transform the Syrian Golan into an active front that allows attacking Israel without sliding into a comprehensive war that includes Lebanon.
On the other hand, the report indicated that the Israeli security establishment does not rule out the possibility that the new Syrian regime will turn a blind eye, or deal silently, with the activity of these organizations inside Syrian territory, with the aim of “occupying” the Israeli army forces and perhaps targeting them. This comes, according to the report, despite officials in the US Central Command (Centcom) confirming to Israeli officers that the new Syrian regime is making efforts to prevent the arrival of militants to areas under Israeli operational control, including thwarting attempts to smuggle weapons into those areas.
The report concluded by noting that Israeli estimates do not rule out that the new Syrian regime is maneuvering between Iranian pressure on the one hand, and American-Israeli pressure on the other hand, with regard to controlling armed activity on its southern borders.
