IDF Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee exposed new details on Monday linking Hezbollah to the assassination of Lebanese Christian politician Elias Hasrouni in southern Lebanon.
Hasrouni served as the secretary-general of the Lebanese Forces party in Bint Jbeil and was known for his outspoken opposition to Hezbollah’s control over the region.
According to the information revealed, on the night of August 1, 2023, operatives from Hezbollah’s Unit 121 ambushed Hasrouni near his home in the village of Ain Ibl. The squad kidnapped him, murdered him using poison, and broke several of his ribs.
Following the killing, the assassins attempted to stage the scene as a traffic accident. They returned Hasrouni’s body to his vehicle, pushed it into a roadside tree and left the car in a nearby ditch in an effort to conceal the fact that he had been targeted.
Hezbollah’s Unit 121, also known as the organization’s “tracking and special operations” unit, serves as an internal security arm responsible for eliminating journalists, officers, politicians and other figures viewed as opponents of the organization.
Among the better-known victims attributed to the unit is former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The unit commander, Salim Ayyash, was convicted in 2020 by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon for his role in leading the assassination cell.
Despite the blows Hezbollah has suffered in recent months, IDF assessments indicate that the organization continues efforts to destabilize Lebanon. Unit 121, officials believe, remains a key tool in suppressing internal opposition and intimidating rival political actors.