Hamas planned 2,000-strong invasion from Lebanon with Hezbollah support, captured documents reveal

Captured Hamas documents have revealed an ambitious plan by the militant organisation to establish military infrastructure in Lebanon and launch a coordinated assault on Israel alongside Hezbollah. The strategy, uncovered by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) during operations in Gaza, outlined how Hamas intended to deploy approximately 2,000 fighters across Israel’s northern border in a joint operation with the Iranian-backed militant group.

According to the seized materials, Hamas had already operationalised its Lebanese infrastructure by 2021, well before the 7 October attacks that precipitated the current conflict. The documents suggest that the northern front represented a significant component of Hamas’s broader military strategy, with preparations continuing even after the 7 October escalation.

The revelation sheds light on the complex web of militant alliances in the region and demonstrates Hamas’s efforts to establish multiple operational theatres against Israel. The plan appears to have envisioned a coordinated campaign that would have stretched Israeli military resources across multiple fronts, exploiting the proximity and capabilities of Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.

The discovery of these strategic documents provides Israeli and Western analysts with concrete evidence of pre-planned coordination between major Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups. It underscores the security challenges Israel faces on its northern border, where Hezbollah has increasingly engaged in cross-border operations since October 2023.

Source: Maariv — Original article in Hebrew.