Ronen Bergman, a renowned staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and an expert on military intelligence, dives deep into Israel's covert operations against Hezbollah. He reveals how Israeli forces infiltrated Hezbollah’s networks, leading to the strategic assassination of leader Hassan Nasrallah. The discussion includes a look at the political implications of military decisions, strategies derived from past conflicts, and the evolving dynamics of Israeli intelligence methods against Hezbollah's military capabilities. An engaging exploration of high-stakes espionage!
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Nasrallah's Miscalculation
In March 2006, Nasrallah dismissed warnings about Israeli retaliation.
He later admitted his misjudgment after the 2006 war.
insights INSIGHT
Intelligence Shift
The 2006 war was a turning point for Israeli intelligence.
They shifted 70% of their resources to focus on Hezbollah.
insights INSIGHT
New Modus Operandi
Israel developed a new modus operandi after 2006.
They used commercial supply chains to plant devices and gather intelligence within Hezbollah.
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Behind the Dismantling of Hezbollah: Decades of Israeli Intelligence
Ronen Bergman
Sheera Frenkel
Mark Mazzetti
This article series details the extensive intelligence operations conducted by Israel to dismantle Hezbollah. It highlights the use of covert technological methods, such as remotely detonating explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies, and a significant aerial bombardment to destroy Hezbollah's missile and rocket capabilities. The campaign was the culmination of years of intelligence gathering and penetration into Hezbollah's ranks, ultimately leading to the death of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and other top commanders.
The string of Israeli successes against Hezbollah — culminating in the killing of Hassan Nasrallah — last September was partly the work of Israeli military and intelligence agencies infiltrating Hezbollah’s networks, planting booby-trapped communication devices, and tracking the leaders’ movements to dismantle the group's military capabilities. This campaign crippled Hezbollah by also destroying thousands of missiles and disrupting its leadership, delivering a blow to Iran’s regional strategy.
An investigative report recently published by the New York Times delves into how deeply Israeli intelligence had penetrated Hezbollah ranks. Our guest today is one of the report’s authors: Ronen Bergman.
Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and Senior Correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs for Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli daily. Ronen has won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Israel-Hamas war and the pre-war intelligence failures.
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