Hamas is increasing its activity in Lebanon and angering Hezbollah

• Author: ANNA AHRONHEIM
• Published date: 12 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The Gaza-based terror group's secret force build-up in Lebanon has grown over the years to have hundreds of operatives working for Hamas's "Construction Bureau," which is responsible for building and developing military capabilities on Israel's northern border.

The force, based out of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, is concealed from Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah and "has the potential of creating a severely difficult challenge for Hezbollah," the report said.

Headed by Majed Qader Mahmoud Qader who recently moved to Lebanon from Istanbul, the Construction Bureau has two units, the Al-Shimali Unit and the Khaled Ali Unit, each with hundreds of operatives.

The Al-Shimali unit operates in five main geographical areas in Lebanon: Beirut, Tripoli, the Bekaa, Sidon and Tyre. It is headed by William Abu Shanab who underwent professional UAV training in Iran and Indonesia. His deputy is Bara'a Hasan Farhat and the unit's intelligence officer is Khalil Muhammad Azzam.

The Khalid Ali unit is commanded by Muhammed Hamed Jabara.

According to the report, the two units develop and manufacture weapons in Lebanon including rockets, drones and small unmanned submarines. They also deal in recruitment, training and specialized qualification courses such as sniping, operating anti-tank missile launchers, drone operators, urban warfare, aeronautics, naval diving and tactical intelligence collection.

Qader's deputy, Muhammed Ibrahim Wadh Salim, is also reported to be the head of the manufacturing department of the Bureau which provides technical assistance and develops and manufactures rockets and drones.

Salim is said to be a mechanical engineer by trade, and is considered one of the leaders of Hamas's medium-range rocket development program as well as responsible for improving the group's rocket, UAV and explosive submarine accuracy technology.

The report also named several other senior Hamas operatives in Lebanon, including Saleh al-Arouri who is the deputy head of the group's political bureau and responsible for terror attacks in the West Bank.

Hamas has been the target of many preemptive counter-terror raids by Israeli security forces in several locations in the West Bank after the group was reported to be planning a major terror attack in Israel. Several Hamas operatives were killed and a significant amount of explosives and other weapons were confiscated during the raids.

It's likely that Arouri, who was behind the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli...