On Aug. 30, Israeli daily Maariv quoted Israeli security sources as saying that a Hezbollah-linked armed network is operating in the West Bank to carry out armed operations inside Israel by recruiting members of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
A senior Palestinian security official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “A number of Palestinian militants informed the Palestinian security services that they received calls from Hezbollah in Lebanon. The number of those who have joined Hezbollah in the West Bank is unknown at present, and Hezbollah is taking advantage of the financial strait of those it communicated with. In the past months, it has transferred tens of thousands of dollars to those who have joined it.”
He added, “The investigations that the Palestinian security services carried out with some armed members revealed that the number of those who agreed to join Hezbollah’s activities does not exceed 10. Yet, a single armed operation they carry out in the West Bank is enough to turn things upside down, as it might turn from being a specific and limited individual operation into a more dangerous and complicated situation.”
Al-Monitor contacted Hezbollah to talk about the Israeli accusations and the Palestinian statements, but its media and political officials did not respond.
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