Israel’s domestic security agency said it has dismantled a West Bank-based militant network that was allegedly being directed from Lebanon by operatives with links to Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a statement, the Shin Bet said the cell had been tasked with gathering intelligence on an Israeli settlement and had undergone firearms training in preparation for an attack. Five Palestinians from the West Bank have been indicted in connection with the plot.

According to the agency, the investigation began in October 2025 with the arrest of Mohammad Sadka, a resident of the West Bank village of Anza, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. During questioning, Sadka revealed that he had traveled to Lebanon, where he was recruited by a Lebanese operative identified as Musa Abu Saif, also known as Jibril.

After returning to the West Bank via Jordan, Sadka allegedly recruited additional members to the network, including Mohammad Khalil, from Ramallah, and Mohammad Barahmeh, also from Anza. Both men were subsequently arrested and questioned by Shin Bet investigators.

The agency said Sadka remained in contact with his handlers in Lebanon through social media platforms and online gaming applications, which were used to relay instructions.

At the same time, a second cell managed by the same Lebanese-based figures was uncovered, leading to the arrests of two additional Palestinians, Dia a-Din Hamad and Nasser Asida, both from the village of Tell in the northern West Bank.

Interrogations revealed that Hamad and Asida had been recruited by a Lebanese operative known as Mujahid, along with others using the aliases Abu Ahmad and Abu Wahid. The recruits were instructed to conduct weapons training, photograph a settlement in the Samaria region of the West Bank, and prepare for an attack. Arrangements were also made to transfer funds to enable the purchase of weapons, the Shin Bet said.

The agency identified the alleged leader of the Lebanon-based recruitment network as Mujahid Dahsha, described as a Lebanese resident with ties to both Hamas and Hezbollah.

“The investigation and intelligence efforts exposed a terror infrastructure operating in the West Bank under the direction of entities in Lebanon,” the Shin Bet said, adding that the network sought to establish operational cells capable of carrying out attacks inside Israel.

Prosecutors have filed indictments against all five West Bank suspects on terrorism-related charges.