Who was Hezbollah's Senior Official Killed in Beirut?
Hassan Al-Lakis, killed in Beirut near his residence, was the head of Hezbollah's acquisition department, and was in responsible for the terror organization's acquisition of weapons and equipment
Ronen Solomon
| 22/02/2015
Hassan Al-Lakis, the senior Hezbollah official who was assassinated yesterday in Beirut, stood at the head of the organization's acquisition department. Throughout the course of his work, he was in charge of the organization's acquisition of weapons and equipment.
Al-Lakis was first noted by intelligence organizations back in 1995, when he aided in the operation of a network as part of the Charlotte affair. Revealed in the US in 2002, the affair involved a Lebanese network which smuggled cigarettes in the area of North Carolina and used to transfer portions of the profits to fund Hezbollah's activities.
Throughout the years, Al-Lakis advanced within Hezbollah's ranks and became the head of the organization's acquisitions, including with regards to Iran. He essentially operated vis-à-vis Iran with the objective of receiving advanced technologies - from weapons to fighting and communication layouts and up to the attempts to acquire UAVs and advanced missiles. Furthermore, the Al-Lakis family is known within Hezbollah's Operations mechanism.
It can be said that as the person responsible for acquisitions, Al Lakis held the same position that was held by his former counterpart within Hamas, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in 2010.
Hassan Al-Lakis, the senior Hezbollah official who was assassinated yesterday in Beirut, stood at the head of the organization's acquisition department. Throughout the course of his work, he was in charge of the organization's acquisition of weapons and equipment.
Al-Lakis was first noted by intelligence organizations back in 1995, when he aided in the operation of a network as part of the Charlotte affair. Revealed in the US in 2002, the affair involved a Lebanese network which smuggled cigarettes in the area of North Carolina and used to transfer portions of the profits to fund Hezbollah's activities.
Throughout the years, Al-Lakis advanced within Hezbollah's ranks and became the head of the organization's acquisitions, including with regards to Iran. He essentially operated vis-à-vis Iran with the objective of receiving advanced technologies - from weapons to fighting and communication layouts and up to the attempts to acquire UAVs and advanced missiles. Furthermore, the Al-Lakis family is known within Hezbollah's Operations mechanism.
It can be said that as the person responsible for acquisitions, Al Lakis held the same position that was held by his former counterpart within Hamas, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in 2010.
