A participant in the assassination attempt of leader in Hamas movement Mohammad Omar Hamdan

The Army Command – directorate of Orientation issued the following statement:

As a result of the following up with the file of the assassination attempt of leader in Hamas Mohamad Omar Hamdan on 14/01/2018 in Sidon through detonating his vehicle, the Intelligence Directorate was able on 21/01/2019 to arrest Hussein Ahmad Batto in Charhabil – Sidon. The latter had performed surveillance and observation operations before the detonation operation.

The arrested individual confessed to being recruited by the Israeli Mossad since 2014 and that he has met with his recruiters outside Lebanon, not to mention having received electronic monitoring and communication devices. The arrested individual also confessed to having been assigned to observe Hamdan from the summer of 2017 and that he has located his residence and monitored his movements as well as transferred information to his recruiters for the detonation operation to be performed by another group that was determined after the mentioned operation.

Batto also confessed that after the operation was executed, the Israeli Mossad ordered him to leave Lebanon, so he lived for 3 months abroad and returned based on their demand.

A large number of the electronic devices he received from the Israeli Mossad was confiscated and investigations are ongoing under the supervision of the relevant authorities.