Cold winds blew between the rocky slopes of the Mount Dov area, as IDF forces moved in darkness and exemplary silence towards a structure in a village in the region. Long minutes of careful advance ended in a swift breach, during which a senior terrorist from the Islamic Jama’a terrorist organization was apprehended and transferred for interrogation in Israel.
The operation, which took place early last week, is considered one of the most significant carried out against the Lebanese organization to date. “We prepared for this moment for quite some time, and worked on the ‘fallback plan’ with great patience,” says Lt. M., Head of Lebanon Targets in the 210th Division, referring to the covert operation. “We have been tracking this senior operative for a while and identifying his efforts to build terror infrastructures against Israel. Here, we understood we had an opportunity to disrupt Jama’a’s plans.”
According to the intelligence officer, when the indications pointing to an operational window of opportunity were received, they were already prepared: “At that moment, you pull out again what we know about the area, and characterize the dangers. The goal is to understand if there are no sudden challenges that could affect the operation and the fighters. And when it starts, it’s very exciting to be in the command center and watch the process unfold.”
The Clash in Beit Jinn – and the Attempt to Establish a Presence in Syria
Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya is a Sunni organization identified with the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ movement in Lebanon. It was founded in the 1960s, and in 1982 established a military wing: ‘Al-Fajr Forces’ (Dawn Forces). Over the years, it has established a significant political and social presence in the country, including representation in parliament, while simultaneously developing recruitment platforms based on civilian and community activities.
In recent years, and even more so during the war, the organization has returned to operational activity against Israel, including rocket fire from Lebanese territory. Concurrently, attempts by Jama’a to establish a presence in Syrian territory have been identified, where intelligence sources point to a desire to build forces and store weaponry.
“Similar to other organizations, they view Syria as a kind of playground,” explains Lt. A., Head of Palestinian Targets in the division. “We were exposed to this before, and also after the Assad regime. The idea is to maintain control in an additional sector in order to split arenas and create opportunities for building broader terror infrastructures.”
The operation in Mount Dov is not the only one in recent times. Just last week, the Maglan unit, under the command of the 210th Division, located and destroyed a weapons depot belonging to the organization in the area of the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria. During the night operation, numerous weapons were found, including rockets, explosives, and over half a ton of explosives – which were destroyed on site.
About two months prior, forces from the 55th Brigade carried out another operation in Beit Jinn to arrest three terrorists affiliated with the organization. During the operation, the forces encountered an armed cell, engaged in a close-quarters battle, during which six soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously. Finally, the cell that opened fire was neutralized, and the suspects were apprehended.
“Even Those Less in the Headlines – Are in Our Sights”
“This is a challenging organization, different from others in the arena,” notes Lt. A., listing the differences: “Its military wing is separate from the organization itself, and it has political representation and involvement in areas beyond terrorism. One of our goals is to conduct active operations to understand them properly.”
“‘Jama’a’ works with partners, maintains close ties with Hezbollah, and receives support from Hamas. But they also know how to operate independently, as ‘lone wolves.’ Simultaneously, they are making a significant effort to integrate themselves within the civilian population.”
According to Lt. M., the change made against them is not just in identifying the means – but in identifying the intentions: “We see that there is a factor here that threatens us, and we are carrying out operations to disrupt its activity in the sector. We understood that we need to act against the enemy’s intentions and not wait for them to display their capabilities.”
“Our goal is not to do intelligence for intelligence’s sake, but to influence reality,” clarifies the head of targets. “Whether it’s by degrading capabilities, like neutralizing a weapons depot, or by arresting operatives to broaden our perspective. Their attempt to build power will not pass by in silence.”
The series of special operations completed over the past year in the 210th Division reflects, according to intelligence sources, a clear doctrine: there is no such thing as a ‘secondary organization’ when a threat is identified. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a large and well-known organization like Hezbollah, or the Islamic Jama’a that has been less in the headlines,” emphasizes Lt. A., “we investigate them too, and are not afraid to act with intensity against them as well.”