Documents captured by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip reveal how Hamas spent years building military infrastructure in Lebanon as part of a strategic plan to open another front against Israel.

According to a Kan News report citing research by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, senior Hamas officials were already discussing the establishment of a military force in Lebanon with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a representative of Iran’s Quds Force as early as 2012.

A plan was developed as part of preparations for a multi-front war against Israel that included intentions to establish combat cells, launch rockets, prepare for infiltrations into Israel, and the procurement and production of weapons.

The documents indicate that by May 2021, during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Hamas had already established an initial operational infrastructure in southern Lebanon and launched rockets into Israel with Hezbollah’s approval.

Following the operation, Yahya Sinwar pushed to significantly expand the project. Documents from 2022 set a goal of building a force of approximately 2,000 terrorists, who were intended, among other roles, to serve as an advance force alongside Hezbollah’s Radwan Force and carry out infiltrations into Israel.

Although Hamas never succeeded in building the force on the scale it envisioned, its military wing in Lebanon became actively involved in the fighting following October 7. Beginning on October 8, 2023, Hamas terrorists in Lebanon fought alongside Hezbollah and claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against northern Israel through November 2024.

Despite commitments made to Lebanese authorities following shooting incidents in March 2025 that it would not violate Lebanon’s sovereignty, Hamas has continued to reject the Lebanese government’s decision establishing a state monopoly on weapons.

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said the captured documents demonstrate that Hamas’s military presence in Lebanon was not an isolated initiative, but a long-term strategic project developed as part of its vision for a multi-front confrontation with Israel.

Despite internal difficulties and disagreements with Iran and Hezbollah, Hamas ultimately succeeded in making the infrastructure operational. However, the project never reached the scale or level of influence that Hamas leaders had originally envisioned.

If Lebanese authorities decide to enforce the disarmament of Hamas, the ramifications could extend well beyond eliminating another military front against Israel. Such a move could also significantly weaken Hamas’s influence in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps and undermine its position vis-à-vis Fatah and the PLO.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)