The Shin Bet thwarted an attack by Hezbollah against a former senior security figure using a Claymore anti-personnel mine, which was intended to be carried out in the coming days, the security agency announced on Tuesday afternoon.
In the Shin Bet's dramatic announcement on Tuesday, it was also revealed for the first time that the explosion in Yarkon Park last September, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah was also an attempted attack by Hezbollah.
The Shin Bet stated that "operational preparation and the activity of the forces prevented the attack in the final stages of implementation. The target of the attack has been updated by the security forces and is being updated accordingly." It was also reported that "at this stage it is not possible to provide further details."
Until now, the information regarding the previous attack in Yarkon Park was covered under a gag order, but now the Shin Bet has revealed that an explosive device "similar in characteristics" to the one seized now was used in the September 15, 2023 attack, which ended without casualties.
The assessment in the security system is that the Hezbollah elements involved in the current incident were behind the attack a year ago. "It should be emphasized that the infrastructure was under surveillance for a long time to monitor and thwart Hezbollah's terrorist activity," the Shin Bet said.
The attack in Yarkon Park last year - which testifies to the great boldness of Hezbollah even before the outbreak of the war three weeks later after the Hamas massacre on October 7 -took place about six months after another bold attack by the Lebanese terrorist organization.
That attack, in March 2023, happened at the Megiddo Junction and was carried out by a Hezbollah terrorist who managed to penetrate the border from Lebanon without being caught and reach the junction located 70 km south of the border. He also used an explosive device, which seriously injured local resident Sharaf Edin Hamaisi. The terrorist tried to return to Lebanon and almost succeeded: He was neutralized a few kilometers from the border and died.
The Shin Bet said in its announcement: "As part of an operation by the General Security Service, a bomb attack on behalf of Hezbollah was foiled, which was targeted against a former senior official in the security system and was planned to be carried out in the coming days.
"As part of the operation, the Shin Bet uncovered a type of Claymore anti-personnel mine known to be used by Hezbollah, intended to cause injury. A remote activation mechanism, based on a camera and a cell phone, was attached to the charge, in order for it to be activated from Lebanon by Hezbollah. Operational preparation and the activity of the forces prevented the attack in the final stages of implementation.
"The target of the attack has been updated by the security forces and is being updated accordingly. At this stage, it is not possible to provide further details. This device is similar in its characteristics to the Claymore mine used by Hezbollah on September 15, 2023, in Yarakon Park, which was intended to hit an Israeli official.
"The assessment in the security system is that the Hezbollah elements involved in the current incident were behind the attack in September 2023. It should be emphasized that the infrastructure was under surveillance for a long time. The Shin Bet, together with its partners in the security system, will increase and operate with all the capabilities available to it to monitor and thwart Hezbollah's terrorist activities."