Suhil Bahij Gharb, the head of military intelligence for southern Lebanon, reportedly provided Hezbollah with sensitive information obtained from a security control room jointly operated by the US, France, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, according to The Sunday Times of London.
This security breach occurs at a critical moment for the fragile ceasefire. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed 22 Hezbollah operatives, including one soldier, in southern Lebanon as they attempted to breach IDF defenses to reach their Hezbollah strongholds, referred to as “villages.”
Suhil Bahij Gharb, a Shia Muslim residing in southern Lebanon, was placed in the international situation room at the insistence of senior Hezbollah commander Wafiq Safa. Safa, who leads the terror group’s Coordination and Liaison Committee. Safa survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Beirut last October, during the time Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah along with much of the group’s top leadership, while also destroying thousands of fighters and significant portions of its weapons stockpile.
An international intelligence report obtained by The Times reveals that Suhil Bahij Gharb is among dozens of Lebanese army officers who have leaked information to Hezbollah. These leaks have provided Hezbollah with advance warnings of raids and patrols, enabling them to hide weapons and avoid detection.
The intelligence document states: “Hezbollah uses internal, sensitive information regarding the Lebanese army to conceal its actions from the international entities responsible for regional security.” It further highlights concerns about the Lebanese army’s ability to effectively take control of the mountainous south, a region where Hezbollah has long been the dominant political and military power.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement that concluded on Sunday, Hezbollah was prohibited from conducting military operations south of the Litani River, located 28 kilometers from the Israeli border. The agreement tasked the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers with taking control of Hezbollah’s strongholds and bases in the area, as well as recovering any weapons they encountered.
In return, Israeli forces were expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon by Sunday morning. However, the IDF announced they would remain until Lebanon fully enforced the ceasefire, warning that they would uphold the truce “with an iron fist.” This firm stance led to the deaths of 22 Hezbollah fighters during clashes.
Regional security sources told The Times that, although the Lebanese army had been “doing its part” by confiscating some weapons stockpiles in areas vacated by the IDF, leaks by Suhil Bahij Gharb and other Lebanese Army officers have allowed Hezbollah fighters and their weapons to stay near the Israeli border.
