
Screenshot of video published by the Alma Center showing al-Jamaa al-Islamiya positions in Beirut.
After Israeli journalist of Lebanese origin, Edy Cohen, published in June a visual montage showing the Lebanese capital under bombardment, with a message in Hebrew and Arabic reading “Soon in Beirut,” the Alma Research Center, accused of being a propaganda tool for Tel Aviv, is following suit.
In a video released on July 14, the center, supported by images, identifying locations in Beirut associated with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (the Islamic Group), a party close to Hamas and Hezbollah and involved in the clashes in south Lebanon.
This move appears to be part of a psychological warfare strategy, especially since this group, allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, is no stranger to such warnings.
Furthermore, almost simultaneously, another video published by Israeli accounts on social media showed the Lebanese capital with an hourglass, accompanied by the sound of sirens.
According to Alma, the message addressed to al-Jamaa al-Islamiya is meant as a response to the reconnaissance and tracking drones sent by Hezbollah to Israel in June and July, dubbed “al-Hodhod,” which revealed sensitive sites in Haifa and then in the Golan.
“The difference is that these images are taken on the ground and in the streets of Beirut,” the center emphasized. This implies that these images are the work of infiltrated agents that Israel has on the ground, although it seems more likely that the images were sourced from Google Earth's Street View functionality.
In the video, the al-Daawa center, affiliated with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and located in the densely populated neighborhood of Aisha Bakkar in the capital, is prominently featured.
Some images show a place of worship for the group, suggesting they were taken inside the center where worshippers are seen praying. The warning is clear: Beirut remains a potential target at any moment, especially after the Yemeni Houthis' attack on Tel Aviv last Friday.
A message to Sunnis
The video was released just hours after the assassination of Mohammad Hamed Gebara, a senior commander of the “Forces of Dawn,” the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group, in Ghazzeh, Western Bekaa in Lebanon.
The timing was surprising, especially since the Islamic Group has been keeping a low profile on the battlefield for some time.
The “Forces of Dawn” claimed responsibility for half a dozen strikes, the most recent being in March.
“Although the group is less active than before, it is still not spared from targeted assassinations, like other components of the resistance,” commented Hassan Qotob, a researcher and specialist in political Sunnism.
One thing is certain: It is not the military threat of the “Forces of Dawn” — which reportedly number no more than a thousand fighters — that concerns Israel. Rather, it is the fact that the Sunni group is fighting alongside the Shiite Hezbollah, giving the latter a certain legitimacy beyond its sectarian base.
This is a connection that Tel Aviv seemingly aims to break.
By threatening to strike the group’s centers and places of worship in Beirut, a large portion of the Sunni community is meant to feel threatened.
During the 2006 war, the capital, predominantly Sunni, was relatively spared from Israeli bombardments, especially compared to its southern suburbs, which are predominantly Shiite. This balance may now change.
“This is an attempt to divide the Sunnis and pressure their popular base,” explained Qotob.
Moreover, in a similar video circulated several months ago, the Islamic Group’s offices in Saida were identified. According to a local resident linked to the group, it was forced to close its offices there due to pressure from the inhabitants.
This psychological pressure also targeted Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian, who on July 7 expressed support for the resistance and whose office is just a few meters from the al-Daawa center.
“The mufti had no choice, especially since the Secretary General of Dar al-Fatwa [the highest Sunni religious authority], Sheikh Amine al-Kurdi, who is very close to al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, was the first to support resistance operations against Israel, a position that earned him considerable popularity. The mufti followed suit,” said a Sunni dignitary who requested anonymity.
“These videos are more about psychological warfare than an actual intent to act,” said Ahmad al-Ayoubi, an expert on Islamist movements. “According to the principle of surprise, military operations are never announced in advance.”
While al-Jamaa al-Islamiya has long been engaged in combat alongside Hezbollah, the Sunni community, though supportive of Palestinians, does not unanimously approve of some of its elements becoming mired in a conflict that could spiral out of control at any moment.
The Sunni community is particularly opposed to distancing itself from the Gulf monarchies and aligning with a camp led by Iran.
“Once the Gaza war is over, the Islamic Group will face an intricate problem, especially since it is far removed from the principle of velayat-e faqih that governs Hezbollah,” said Sunni dignitary.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Sahar Ghoussoub.