The Israel Defense Forces reported today that it has uncovered a Hezbollah terror cell led by a veteran Lebanese terrorist wanted by the US. The combative terrorists were found dug in on the Golan Heights in a small Syrian village just across the border with Israel, from where they were collecting intelligence against Israeli targets.

The IDF says the cell is being run by Lebanese terrorist Ali Musa Daqduq, who is wanted by the US for killing 5 servicemen in Iraq. Daqduq, a senior Hezbollah leader, was captured by US troops in Basra, Iraq in 2007. Iraqi courts later found him not guilty and released him from prison despite US and Israeli concerns that Daqduq was a dangerous militant.

Today’s IDF exposure of the Daqduq-led terrorist cell on social media marks a dramatic change in the way Israel is trying to deal with the growing threats on its northern border. Israel typically refrains from commenting on its military activities against Iran in Syria, preferring instead to act quietly behind the scenes. With cautious ambiguity, the IDF neither confirms nor denies cross-border strikes. Broadcasting the Hezbollah terror cell on social media for all the world to see is clearly meant to serve as a way of stating Israel’s case before an unconcerned world of the real dangers brewing on our borders. The public exposure of the cell is also a clear warning to Syria and other Iranian proxies that Israel will not tolerate Tehran’s efforts to establish a permanent military presence in the Syrian Golan, and that the next time there will be dire consequences.

The IDF has vowed to prevent the Daqduq-led terror group from operating against Israel from Syrian soil. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria to prevent attempts to smuggle weapons to the Hezbollah terror groups and keep Iranian-backed forces from digging themselves in near the border.