Captured Hamas Documents Expose Decade-Long Plan to Build Lebanon Front Against Israel

Captured Hamas documents are shedding new light on the terror group's long-term effort to build a second military front against Israel from Lebanon with support from Hezbollah and Iran.

The documents, detailed in a study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, show that senior Hamas officials were discussing the project with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and representatives of Iran's Quds Force as early as 2012.

Plans for Rockets, Fighters and Cross-Border Attacks

The proposed infrastructure went far beyond political coordination. Hamas sought to establish combat units in Lebanon, develop a rocket-launching network, prepare forces for infiltrations into Israel, and secure the production and procurement of weapons.

By the time of Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, parts of that network had become operational. Hamas fired rockets at Israel from Lebanese territory with Hezbollah's approval, while a joint operations room in Beirut coordinated activity involving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian operatives.

After the 2021 conflict, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar pushed for a major expansion of the Lebanon project. Documents from 2022 describe plans to establish a force of approximately 2,000 fighters that could operate alongside Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force and take part in cross-border attacks against Israel.

The full plan was never completed, but Hamas's military wing in Lebanon later joined Hezbollah's campaign following the October 7 war and claimed responsibility for attacks against northern Israel.

A Partnership Built Over Decades

Hamas's military presence in Lebanon has roots stretching back to the early 1990s, when hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives were deported to Marj al-Zohour.

That period helped deepen Hamas's ties with Hezbollah and Iran while expanding its influence inside Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Over time, those relationships developed into an operational partnership linking Hamas to the wider Iran-backed terror network surrounding Israel.

The documents reinforce longstanding Israeli concerns that Hamas's strategy was never limited to Gaza. Its leadership worked for years to create additional pressure points against Israel, with Lebanon serving as a potential northern launchpad for rockets, infiltrations and coordinated attacks.

Hamas Reportedly Seeking U.S. Talks

The revelations come as Hamas is reportedly seeking talks with the United States and the head of the Board of Peace in an effort to advance a Gaza plan opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Separate reports have also said the Trump administration opened a secret backchannel to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The reported contacts come against the backdrop of Hamas's documented cooperation with Iran's Quds Force and Hezbollah over the Lebanon military project.

Any diplomatic engagement with Hamas therefore comes as captured internal records continue to expose the group's long-term military coordination with Iran and Hezbollah against Israel.

Disarming Hamas in Lebanon Could Reshape the Threat

Efforts by Lebanon to disarm Hamas could carry consequences well beyond internal Lebanese politics. Removing Hamas's military infrastructure would deny the terror group a platform for attacks from Israel's northern border and weaken its operational presence inside Palestinian refugee camps.

It could also reduce Hamas's political and military leverage against rival Palestinian factions, including Fatah and the Palestinian Authority.

The captured documents offer a clear picture of a strategy developed over more than a decade: Hamas worked with Hezbollah and Iran to surround Israel with additional military threats rather than confining its operations to Gaza. That record will remain central to Israeli security concerns as any future arrangements involving Gaza, Lebanon and Hamas are considered.