Disaster averted: IDF reveals reason for unusual strike in Beirut

The IDF strike against a major Hamas leader in the Beirut Dahiyeh suburb may have prevented a mass casualty terrorist attack killing hundreds of Israelis, according to a report today by Ynet (Tuesday).

In their official statement, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad said that:

"Overnight, with the direction of the ISA, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorist Hassan Ali Mahmoud Bdeir, a terrorist in Hezbollah's Unit 3900 and the Iranian Quds Force, in the Dahieh area, a key stronghold of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

"Bdeir recently operated in cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, directed Hamas terrorists, and assisted them in planning and advancing a significant and imminent terror attack against Israeli civilians.

"Given the immediacy of the threat, Bdeir was struck immediately in order to eliminate the threat posed by a terror attack intended to harm Israeli civilians.

"Hezbollah’s terrorist activity constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and poses a threat to Israel and its citizens.

"The IDF, ISA, and Mossad will continue to operate to thwart any threat posed to Israeli civilians in Israeli territory and outside of it."

Ynet revealed that the attack was believed to be a mass casualty one which might have killed hundreds of Israelis, likely in one or more European countries where Hamas has been trying to establish terrorist cells.

According to some reports, Hamas and Palestinian and Islamic Jihad terrorists jailed by Syria were freed by the new regime, and some have already restarted trying to launch terrorist attacks against Israeli targets.