Israel Kills ‘Key’ Terrorist Responsible for Rearming Hezbollah

Latest Developments

• Terrorist Played Role in Smuggling Weapons: The Israeli military confirmed on February 26 that it killed leading Hezbollah terrorist Mehran Nasreddine in a drone strike on his car in the Lebanese town of Hermel. Nasreddine was a key member of the Iran-backed terror organization’s Reinforcement and Weapons Transfer Unit (Unit 4400), which is tasked with smuggling weapons from Iran and its proxies into Lebanon using numerous smuggling routes on the Syria-Lebanon border. The IDF said in a statement that Nasreddine “played a key role in the organization’s weapons transfers and directly incorporated with weapons smugglers’ operation on the Syria-Lebanon border,” in violation of the Israeli-Lebanon ceasefire agreement signed on November 27 to end the conflict on Israel’s northern border.
• IDF Previously Killed Unit’s Commanders: Israel had targeted the secretive Unit 4400 — which operated mainly in Syria before the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, striking numerous operatives, weapons production factories, storage facilities, and transfer points like the Dimas Airport. IDF targeting of the unit increased in October 2024, leading to the killing of the unit’s commander, Hassan Jaafar Qasir (Hajj Samer), on October 8. On October 21, the IDF also killed Qasir’s successor, Ali Hassan Gharib, in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus.
• Hezbollah Continues to Violate Ceasefire Agreement: On February 27, Israeli Air Force aircraft destroyed a Hezbollah observation post in the Einta area of southern Lebanon after Israel detected activity in violation of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement. The agreement requires the Lebanese army “to dismantle all infrastructure, and military positions, and confiscate all unauthorized arms” belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon between the Litani River and the Lebanon-Israel border. 

FDD Expert Response

“Israel’s strike killing Mehran Nasreddine yesterday — and the continuation of its armed activities in Lebanon since November 27, 2024, more broadly — are beginning to resemble its ‘war between the wars’ campaign that previously only targeted Hezbollah in Syria. Considering Lebanon’s continued inaction against Hezbollah, and Jerusalem’s adoption of a proactive defense posture, more such activities can be expected to continue, degrading what remains of the group’s capabilities and hampering its regeneration.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow

“Unit 4400 was Hezbollah’s primary channel for funding and arms, operating closely with the former Assad regime in Syria and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. It served as the lifeline for the group’s rearmament and logistical support. With Syria no longer a viable base and the unit’s key leaders eliminated, Israel is intensifying efforts to make Hezbollah’s rearmament an impossible task to achieve.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“Hezbollah’s Unit 4400,” by David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi

“‘Significant’ Damage: IDF Strikes Hezbollah Smuggling Routes Between Syria and Lebanon,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Targets Hezbollah Intelligence Branch and Ammunition Sites in Syria,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Special Forces Conducted Daring Raid on Iranian Precision Missile Factory in Syria,” FDD Flash Brief