IDF Exposes Hezbollah’s Covert Maritime Attack Program Run Under Civilian Cover
The Israel Defense Forces disclosed new details on Wednesday about a covert Hezbollah maritime program that Israeli officials say was designed to carry out attacks under civilian cover against Israeli and international targets.
According to the IDF, the exposure follows a special operation carried out about a year ago by Shayetet 13 naval commandos, acting on intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate. The operation took place in Batroun, a coastal town in northern Lebanon roughly 140 kilometers from Israel, where forces apprehended Imad Amahz, described as a key figure in Hezbollah’s hidden maritime apparatus. Amahz was brought to Israel for questioning.
The IDF said Amahz was an operative in Hezbollah’s Coastal Missile Unit, known as Unit 7900, and had received advanced training in both Iran and Lebanon. His preparation included extensive maritime instruction intended to support attacks at sea. Israeli officials said he also studied at the civilian maritime institute Marseti in Lebanon, which the IDF described as part of Hezbollah’s practice of embedding terrorist activity within civilian frameworks.
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During questioning, Amahz provided intelligence on what the IDF called Hezbollah’s “covert maritime portfolio,” a tightly compartmentalized project focused on building organized maritime terrorist infrastructure while maintaining a civilian façade. The program, according to the IDF, was among Hezbollah’s most sensitive initiatives.
Israeli officials said the project was overseen directly by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and by Fuad Shukr, the group’s senior military commander and head of its strategic forces. Both were later killed during the war. Operational leadership of the maritime effort was attributed to Ali Abd al-Hassan Nur al-Din, whom the IDF identified as the head of the covert portfolio.
The IDF said that the disruption of the project’s leadership, combined with intelligence obtained from Amahz, allowed Israeli forces to halt the program at a critical stage before it became fully operational.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah’s maritime capabilities, including the covert portfolio, have been funded and supported by Iran. Israeli officials said resources that could have been directed toward rebuilding Lebanon were instead used to develop terrorist infrastructure targeting civilians and international shipping.
