Five years ago, the FBI arrested two Hizballah members operating on U.S. soil. The Iran-backed Lebanese group had tasked them not with causing Islamic State-style mayhem, but with carefully surveilling targets, collecting data, and planning attacks so that, when the time was ripe, Tehran could strike in the heart of America. Among the targets they studied were Israelis living in the U.S., locations linked to Israel, and the JFK airport. They also investigated attacks abroad, including against U.S. targets in the Panama Canal. Speaking with Emil Bove, Mitchell Silber, Rebecca Weiner, and Nathan Sales—all current or former counterterrorism professionals—Matthew Levitt tells the story of these operatives, and explains how they fit into Hizballah’s mission. (Audio, 32 minutes. A transcript and other information can be found at the link below.)
Read more on Washington Institute for Near East Policy: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/podcast-breaking-hezbollahs-golden-rule