The IDF confirmed today, Monday, that it carried out a precision strike overnight in the Baalbek area deep inside Lebanon. The operation killed Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim, who served as the Bekaa Valley commander for the ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad terror organization.
The targeted killing directly damages Islamic Jihad’s command and control capabilities on Lebanese soil. Abd al-Halim was the central figure who led the integration of the group’s operatives into active combat alongside Hezbollah fighters on the northern front. Beyond operational coordination between the organizations, Abd al-Halim worked directly to advance, plan, and execute various terror attacks against IDF forces in recent months.
The overnight strike deep inside Lebanon, in the Baalbek area far from the border, underscores the close intelligence surveillance that IDF intelligence units maintain over the command echelon of ‘Palestinian’ terror organizations operating from Lebanese territory. Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim held a key position in the Bekaa sector, which has become a preferred hub for Islamic Jihad activity and training.
As part of his role, Abd al-Halim concentrated several operational authorities: comprehensive leadership of integrating ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad operatives into Hezbollah’s combat and defense systems, creating a unified front against IDF operations; planning and supplying combat equipment to carry out targeted attacks against IDF units operating in the sector; and overseeing recruitment of operatives and directing terror infrastructure in the Bekaa area, exploiting the geographic terrain for operational deployment.
Since the outbreak of war in the north, ‘Palestinian’ terror organizations operating in Lebanon—led by Hamas and ‘Palestinian’ Islamic Jihad—have drastically increased their operational cooperation with Hezbollah. Under the sponsorship and full coordination of the Shiite organization, these ‘Palestinian’ cells have established armed infrastructure in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, from which they carry out rocket fire, drone and UAV launches, infiltration attempts, and explosive device placement.