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Hezbollah’s cyber unit hacked into telecoms and ISPs: Catalin Cimpanu,Zero Day, Jan. 28, 2021
Hezbollah-affiliated threat actor known as Lebanese Cedar has been linked to intrusions at telco operators and internet service providers in the US, the UK, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and the UAE.
The year-long hacking campaign started in early 2020 and was discovered by Israeli cyber-security firm Clearsky.
In a report published today, the security firm said it identified at least 250 web servers that have been hacked by the Lebanese Cedar group.
“It seems that the attacks aimed to gather intelligence and steal the company’s databases, containing sensitive data,” ClearSky said today.
“In case of telecommunication companies, one can assume that databases containing call records and private data of clients were accessed as well,” the company added.
Is Israel’s Chief of Staff Calling for a Preventive War with Hezbollah?: Zaki Shalom and Jacob Aaron Collier, National Interest, Feb. 8, 2021
During his speech at the INSS Annual Conference, January 28, 2021, Israeli Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi raised several points that garnered broad public attention. Perhaps most notable of these was his comprehensive survey of the threats that Israel faces from “terror armies,” especially Hezbollah, and how Israel should handle these threats. In this regard, his remarks have rightly been interpreted as an implicit call for an Israeli preventive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon or, at least, an intensive attempt to put the idea of a preventive strike in Lebanon high on the national agenda. In a similar vein, Kochavi also announced that he had ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare a few operative plans vis-à-vis Iran; however, Kochavi was not as concrete or detailed on this issue as he was about the prospective strike on Hezbollah.
Many in Israel quickly connected Kochavi’s speech to the upcoming Israeli election set for March 23, 2021. Some claimed that by talking about the disadvantages of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and the potential preventive strike against Hezbollah, Kochavi meant to enhance Netanyahu’s position in the election. Some said that Kochavi was laying the ground for his own entry into Israeli politics after leaving the position of Chief of General Staff. There are also claims that the speech should be viewed against the backdrop of reports of intensive, covert dialogues the Biden administration is conducting with Iran regarding the renewal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Indeed, the speech could be seen as a message to the new U.S. administration: the United States should carefully consider before attempting to carry out any initiative with Iran without consulting Israel.
Israel Security Officials Reveal the Top Threats They Face on Four Fronts This Year: Tom O’Connor, Newsweek, Jan. 19, 2021
The Middle East has navigated another tense year without the outbreak of a major conflict. But tensions remain, many of them surrounding Israel, which contends with four serious simultaneous border conflicts.
The officials charged with defending these borders have shared with Newsweek their strategies for the upcoming year. As did some of their top foes.
SYRIA
Syria is one of many Arab nations that fought with Israel upon its establishment on Palestinian-claimed territory in 1948, and the two remain technically in a state of war today. Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights is a product of this long-running conflict, functioning as both a major thorn in Syria’s side and a violation of international law, as recognized by the United Nations. The boundary remained relatively quiet until civil war consumed Syria, allowing insurgents and the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) to occupy Syria’s side of the Golan before the government retook the area with help from Russia and Iran.
Israel considers the presence of Iran and allied forces such as the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement to be a national security theat. Israeli forces warned their Syrian counterparts about the growing Tehran-aligned influence among their ranks, but Damascus saw Hezbollah as a natural ally against the existential threat of nationwide insurrection, and Israel as a natural foe given their troubled history.
Syria’s Hidden Hand in Lebanon’s Port Explosion: Anchal Vohra, Foreign Policy, Jan. 20, 2021
New information suggests that the thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that exploded at the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, killing more than 200 people and doing some $15 billion in property damage, may have been intended for the Syrian government. The Lebanese government’s official story until now has been that the cargo’s destination was Mozambique. But an investigation by a Lebanese filmmaker that was aired on the local network Al Jadeed has established a link between three Syrian businessmen who backed Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war and what appears to be a shell company that bought the explosives.
Attention now turns to whether Fadi Sawan, a former military judge charged with investigating the tragedy, can leverage these new facts to hold the perpetrators—both foreign and domestic—accountable. But Lebanon’s government elites are also ramping up their own attacks on his reputation and his work.
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For Further Reference:
IDF Ready to Confront Hezbollah ‘Shock Unit’ on Israel’s Northern Border: Yakir Benzion, United With Israel, Feb. 11, 2021 — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence command recently warned that the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon has a “shock” unit, which it intends to deploy on Israel’s northern border.
IDF uses innovative setting to prepare for future Hezbollah war: Udi Shaham, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 4, 2021 — As a confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon always appears to be on the horizon, and escalation in Gaza seems ever-imminent, IDF units – both of conscripts and reserves – continue to train intensively.
Israel, Syria officials discuss removal of Iran and its militias from Syria: Report: Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English, Jan. 20, 2021 — Israel’s demand to remove Iran and its militias from Syria was discussed by Syrian and Israeli officials last month at the Russian Hmeimim base in Syria’s Latakia, according to the Syrian Bridges Center for Studies.
Nukes, terror, Syria, Iraq, Hezbollah – Iran’s tentacles are spreading: Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, Jan. 24, 2021 — Israel is preparing a full-court press to discuss Iran’s threats with the new US administration.
How Hezbollah Profits from Black Cocaine: Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio, FDD’s Long War Journal, Dec. 22, 2020 — Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia.
