Hizballah’s Intelligence Collection Leading Up to and During the 2006 War With Israel: How a VNSA Conducts Operative Intelligence

This study aims to shed light on a phenomenon that has yet to be extensively researched—how a violent nonstate actor builds intelligence-gathering capabilities in preparation for war and how these capabilities are utilized during the conflict. Drawing on sources in four languages, many of which are primary, the research examines how Hizballah developed its intelligence collection capabilities between 2000 and 2006 and how it employed them in the years preceding and during the Second Lebanon War (2006). This analysis spans four key intelligence disciplines: human intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), visual intelligence (VISINT), and open-source intelligence (OSINT). This process of development, carried out with substantial support from state actors backing Hizballah, most notably Iran, resulted in significant intelligence achievements that translated into battlefield successes. The study contributes to the evolving body of research on violent non-state actors and intelligence operations in asymmetric warfare. Moreover, it offers additional insight into Hizballah’s activities in general, specifically during the Second Lebanon War (2006).