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Morale among operatives in the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah has plummeted in recent weeks, according to a report Sunday, following a string of targeted Israeli attacks against the organization’s leadership, and the ongoing ground operation in southern Lebanon.
The Arabic-language Elaph outlet published a report Sunday citing multiple sources who claim that Hezbollah is now facing large-scale desertions, as panicked operatives affiliated with the terror group attempt to distance themselves from Hezbollah to avoid attacks by Israel.
Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike
According to the sources cited by the report, a growing number of Hezbollah operatives are no longer reporting to their handlers when summoned.
In addition, a number of Hezbollah terrorists have fled Lebanon since Israeli forces entered southern Lebanon, and have sought sanctuary in Syria – and to avoid being called up by Hezbollah’s leadership for combat missions against the IDF.
The wave of desertions, which has hit Hezbollah hardest in southern Lebanon, has forced the terror group to dispatch reinforcements from other areas of the country.
The sudden and dramatic loss of manpower, particularly on the southern front, has reportedly impaired Hezbollah’s ability to communicate effectively with and direct its forces in some sectors of southern Lebanon.
Strike that killed Nasrallah required extensive planning and ‘precise intelligence’
The drop in morale has also hampered Hezbollah’s recruitment efforts, making it more difficult to replace terrorists who have been killed or wounded, or who have deserted.
On September 17th and 18th, thousands of Hezbollah terrorists were injured when pagers and handheld radios exploded simultaneously, apparently part of an Israeli covert operation.
The Shi’ite organization was rocked again on September 27th when its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Nasrallah’s heir apparent, Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was killed just days later in another IDF airstrike in Beirut.
