Meet Wadah Kamel Younes, a Hezbollah terrorist who was recently captured by the IDF in south Lebanon, near Israel’s border.
An underground shaft was discovered during an operation of the IDF forces in south Lebanon at the end of last week. It was located in a building leading to the area where terrorists were operating and had an exit shaft nearby. The forces surrounded the building, explored the tunnel shaft, and located an area where the terrorist Wadah Kamel Younes had barricaded himself.
After the terrorist surrendered and was arrested, he was interrogated in the field and then brought in for further questioning by Unit 504 investigators in a prison facility inside Israel.
In his interrogation, Younes said: “They all ran away, all four (the regional commander and his deputy). In the beginning, they already ran away.”
Regarding the Radwan force, Hezbollah’s highest-paid commando force, he said: “They are of little faith, people without religion, they went in to get money and that’s it. They ran away because they were afraid of the IDF. They planned to respond to the attack, to advance to the Galilee, but after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, we didn’t see any of them.”
His interrogator commented: “It can be seen that he is lying in most of the video, he doubts himself and is unsure, as well as saying contradictory things, for example, Hezbollah operatives fled to Ramish but the mayor there opposes Hezbollah. On the other hand, there are few true words because from his body language, it can be concluded that he is afraid of what is going to happen to him the enemy’s captivity.”
Here’s the transcript, translated from Arabic by Google Translate and edited by ChatGPT while I was having my morning coffee:
Interviewer: Your full name is Younes Kaif, correct?
Younes: Yes, that’s right.
Interviewer: So, let’s start from the beginning. What happened with the eggs? You mentioned something about Talaat. Can you explain that?
Younes: I caught the eggs, but there was some confusion. Talaat tried to get involved.
Interviewer: Did you surrender then?
Younes: Yeah, I did. I was alone, and there was a lot of hatred around me. It wasn’t easy.
Interviewer: You’ve been in this place for four days now, right?
Younes: Yeah, I’ve been here for four days. This is where they brought me after everything happened.
Interviewer: And they brought you here from…?
Younes: From the tunnel room. It was under the projector room. They wanted to keep me away from everything.
Interviewer: What was the situation like?
Younes: It was tense. There was electricity in the air with every move. It felt like we were caught between forces – like Hezbollah.
Interviewer: Hezbollah? Could you explain more about that?
Younes: Hezbollah… it’s a party, a strong one. They were involved in everything that was going on. The situation escalated, and before we knew it, there were attacks.
Interviewer: Were you with other people when the attack happened?
Younes: Yes, there were four of us at that point. Three days later, the attack began. The people with me, though, didn’t stick around for long. Two of them left two days before the real chaos started.
Interviewer: And those who stayed, were they all part of Hezbollah?
Younes: Not everyone. There were a few, but the rest were just trying to survive like me. But Hezbollah… they were strong there.
Interviewer: What was your personal experience with Hezbollah?
Younes: I wasn’t really with them in spirit. I was there, but I wasn’t one of them. They were talking about fighting for God, but to me, it felt like they were just trying to hold onto their power.
Interviewer: So, most of Hezbollah ended up leaving that area?
Younes: Yes. A lot of them fled. They made their decisions individually. There was a lot of internal conflict.
Interviewer: What kind of conflicts?
Younes: Differences in strategy, leadership disputes. They didn’t all agree on how to move forward, and that caused a lot of tension.
Interviewer: What were they most afraid of?
Younes: Israel. Without a doubt. The fear of Israeli retaliation weighed heavily on them.
Interviewer: Were all the areas you worked in under Hezbollah control?
Younes: Mostly, yes. Especially in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah had a strong presence. It was impossible not to feel their influence.
Interviewer: Did you see any demonstrations or opposition to Hezbollah during your time there?
Younes: Not much. There were some attempts, but Hezbollah was quick to suppress anything they saw as a threat. They weren’t afraid to take violent measures if necessary.
Interviewer: So, what was Hezbollah’s main goal during the time you were there?
Younes: They were focused on advancing into Israel. That was their ultimate objective, especially after the death of Hassan. They wanted to make a significant move, but everything was on hold for a while.
Interviewer: Do you think they’re still planning something big?
Younes: It’s hard to say for sure. After Hassan’s death, things slowed down. But if things escalate again, they might move forward with their plans.
