Israel Reveals Over 50 Thwarted Abductions By Hezbollah

If you recall, after the killing of superstar jihadist Mughniyeh in Syria, Hezbollah had vowed to target Israelis all over the world and now, Israel is revealing that 50 planned abductions and attacks on Israeli targets have been thwarted. Here's some of the details from the story over at The Daily Star:

Israel's defense establishment has reportedly received more than 50 warnings about Hizbullah attempts to abduct high profile public and security officials over the past few years, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday. Senior security officials briefed the Israeli cabinet on the warnings during a special meeting discussing the security risks Israelis face when traveling abroad

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the senior security officials told the cabinet that the defense establishment has most recently helped an Israeli military major-general escape a Middle East country after obtaining information that his life was in danger.
"Hizbullah's drive to abduct officers and other security personnel stationed outside Israel is skyrocketing," noted a source in the defense establishment.

Hezbollah's aim here is not just revenge for what they consider the assassination of Mughniyeh by the Israelis...no, Hezbollah has realized in the past the payback of abducting Israelis - both military and civilian. It is usually worth key prisoners held in Israeli prisons and other side benefits.

I'm not sure just how long the Israelis can ride this string of good luck in avoiding these abductions but I can assure you this, Hezbollah will not give up. This is their forte' - they are the world's best at hide-behind-a-rock warfare and sneak attacks and probably one of the worst examples of fighters who actually have a spine.

Israel claims to have thwarted 50 Hizbullah abduction attempts

Israel's defense establishment has reportedly received more than 50 warnings about Hizbullah attempts to abduct high profile public and security officials over the past few years, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday. Senior security officials briefed the Israeli cabinet on the warnings during a special meeting discussing the security risks Israelis face when traveling abroad, as well as the recent travel advisories issued by the Counter Terrorism Bureau, according to Yedioth.
The senior security officials reportedly said that at least 10 of the foiled plots were supposed to mimic the abduction scenario of Elhanan Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum, an Israeli businessman and a former Israeli military colonel, was abducted by Hizbullah in 2002, after being lured out of Israel under the false pretense of a drug deal. He was released from captivity in January of 2004 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
The Counter Terrorism Bureau has repeatedly noted that the number of threats made against Israelis, especially senior Israeli military officers and security officials, has spiked since the assassination of Hizbullah's top commander Imad Mughniyeh in a Damascus car bombing in February. Hizbullah has blamed Israel for the killing and vowed revenge.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the senior security officials told the cabinet that the defense establishment has most recently helped an Israeli military major-general escape a Middle East country after obtaining information that his life was in danger.
"Hizbullah's drive to abduct officers and other security personnel stationed outside Israel is skyrocketing," noted a source in the defense establishment.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged all Israelis to abide by the Counter Terrorism Bureau's travel advisories: "The government, through its various security agencies, is doing its best to map out all of the threats and warn the public. But responsibility lies first and foremost on the travelers."

Hezbollah Investigation Claims Mughniyeh Killed By Israelis Aided By Palestinians

Now, this IS a Hezbollah claim so take that with a dozen grains of salt but it does bring up a very interesting scenario and web of contacts. Here's a portion from the DEBKA article:

Their investigators claim that the Israeli Mossad tracked him down through the Palestinian operatives with whom he recently rendezvoused in Beirut and Damascus to coordinate a new wave of terror against Israel.
The Palestinians he met did not know his real identity, they claim. He posed as a senior Iranian intelligence officer called Hajj Radwan, who was based inside the Hizballah command.
This information was leaked to the Mossad networks said to be working under cover in Beirut and Damascus

The key points I want to make here is that many of us just didn't realize how elusive Hezbollah's Mughniyeh really was. It's become apparent that besides al Qaeda's bin Laden and his #2 chimp and the Taliban's Mullah Omar, Mughniyeh was probably the next toughest to find. And you can see from the report that the palestinians who tippped the Mossad off didn't even know who he was, they were just reporting plans upcoming as well as that he might be high up in Iranian ranks. So my point is that this killing ROCKED Hezbollah and Iran - this is like finding a needle in a haystack.

As you read the full article, it is interesting to note that Mughniyeh moved throughout the areas of Lebanon, Syria and palestinian territories as a "lone wolf." This set him apart from all other terrorist and especially, terrorist leaders - he literally trusted NO ONE. And indeed, it is ironic that it was some pali contacts that ended up costing him everything. It still is beyond me how the Mossad got that bomb planted in Mughniyeh's car without being noticed or him being suspicious. It truly is amazing. And I'm sure Hezbollah is shaking its collective head too as well as shaking in their boots.

Hizballah probe claims Israel used Palestinians contacts for Mughniyeh hit

DEBKAfile’s intelligence report exclusively the findings of the special inquiry launched by Hizballah to solve the mystery of who killed the master terrorist Imad Mughniyeh and how.
DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources stress that, above all Hizballah was keen to clear itself of suspicion that Mughniyeh was betrayed by an insider planted by Mossad, and this report points at Palestinians who are accused of giving him away.
Their investigators claim that the Israeli Mossad tracked him down through the Palestinian operatives with whom he recently rendezvoused in Beirut and Damascus to coordinate a new wave of terror against Israel.
The Palestinians he met did not know his real identity, they claim. He posed as a senior Iranian intelligence officer called Hajj Radwan, who was based inside the Hizballah command.
This information was leaked to the Mossad networks said to be working under cover in Beirut and Damascus, who then tipped Mossad HQ in Tel Aviv. They too did not immediately identity Mughniyeh, say the Hizballah investigators – until a description was built up of his habits and connections. One of these was Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal. The Israeli agents, it is said, then put two and two together and came up with the dangerous terrorist Israel and the US had been hunting for two and a half decades.
Two pieces of information clinched the fix, says the Hizballah report.
One was the type of terror operations he discussed with his Palestinian colleagues: “Hajj Radwan” laid before Palestinian terror planners mass high-quality attacks inside Israel in conjunction with Iran and Hizballah. They talked about scale, targets, funding, weapons and manpower.
No one but Imad Mughniyeh was believed to have the breadth and skill to put together a complex Palestinian operation of this type and its detailed cooperation with Tehran and Beirut.
The other clincher was the fact that the “Iranian officer” turned up for all his meetings without bodyguards. In this Mughniyeh was unique. No other Middle East terror chief moves without bodyguards, but the Lebanese terror mastermind trusted nothing and no one but total secrecy. For the Mossad, his lone wolf habits were a telltale trademark.

The Shiite group’s investigators went on to claim that when the Mossad realized that Mughniyeh was within their grasp, they ordered two hit teams waiting in West Europe to set out for Damascus and Beirut.