Hezbollah terrorist who planned attacks in Israel sent to jail

The commander of a seven-member Hezbollah cell was found guilty in an Israeli court and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

A Hezbollah terrorist who operated in Israel and planned terror attacks in the north was sentenced by an Israeli court to 14 years in prison on Tuesday.

Diab Saed Jamil Kahamoz, who commanded the Hezbollah terror cell, was found guilty of aiding an enemy during wartime and contacting a foreign agent, in addition to production and trafficking of illegal weapons.

Kahamoz, an Israeli citzen, directed residents of the village Rajar, which is situated on the border with Lebanon, and was arrested in September 2016 together with the rest of the group after a farmer in Metula, a town in Israel’s north, found several bombs in a bag while he was working in his field. An investigation into the bombs led to the cell’s exposure.

The border between Israel and Lebanon is a drug-running route controlled by the Hezbollah terror organization, and is also used for smuggling weapons. In this case, Israeli-Arab drug traffickers were recruited as terrorists.

Kahamoz, a known drug dealer, was contacted by Hezbollah via Saed Kahamoz, Diab’s father, and they were tasked with preparing attacks in Israel and with the collection of intelligence deep inside the country.

Kahamoz senior, a well-known drug trafficker and Hezbollah operative, fled Israel in 2006 right after the Second Lebanon War. He served as a Hezbollah go-between and several of his sons were active in the terror cell.

The cell communicated with the Shiite terror organization via encrypted email. Diab received two explosive charges in May 2016 that were smuggled through the fence and which he hid in a field near Metula. They were exposed by the farmer.

Diab was supposed to have collected more bombs from Hezbollah on the border in August.

Diab was asked to commit an attack in Haifa, and also contemplated attacking the nearby city of Nesher. He recruited his brothers Yosouf and Jamil, and finally settled for an attack on a popular bus stop used by soldiers on their way to bases in the north.

Diab’s brothers helped him communicate with Hezbollah and collect intelligence. The two burned the computer used by Diab after his arrest and prior to their own arrest. They were both sent to three years in prison.

Other cell members included Adel Oyaneat who was connected to Diab’s smuggling operation and smuggled night-vision goggles to Hezbollah in 2007.

Mohsan Kahamoz, Diab’s relative, purchased the computer used by Diab and helped him communicate with Hezbollah.

Mamduh Ibrahim helped Diab passed messages to Hezbollah and was involved in Diab’s drug trafficking operation. He was sentenced to two years in prison.