Talal Hamieh "The Ghost"
Talal Hamieh, born on November 27, 1952, hails from the town of Taraya in the central Bekaa. He was one of the few figures who had direct contact with Nasrallah, and headed the party’s external operations unit. Hamieh belongs to the party's military wing, so he was hidden from view and works in secret under several aliases, including Ismat Mazraani, Talal Hosni Hamieh and Abu Jaafar. Hamieh was also considered to be from the party's first generation, having joined it in the mid-eighties when he assumed responsibility for raising party members in Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut The FBI likens Hamieh’s family to the family of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and describes it as the “Lebanese bin Laden family” because it is one of the most important families known in Hezbollah circles.
The Israeli Mossad calls him "the ghost" because he does not have any official identification papers in Lebanon, and because he completely avoids social life and public appearances and strictly follows the strict security precautions. Former Mossad deputy chief Ram Ben-Barak described him years ago as “the mastermind behind Hezbollah’s terrorist operations.” Barak pointed out that Hamieh "specializes in global terrorism, and it can be said that he is one of the most dangerous terrorists in the entire world." He added: "If you want to borrow from Israeli terminology, this man is a battalion of the Israeli Mossad, and he is the one who established and led the external operations branch of Hezbollah, with the aim of striking Israeli and Western sites outside the Middle East region."
Hamieh worked as an administrative employee at Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut until early 1982. He began his activities with Hezbollah in the mid-1980s, starting as a security official in the party from Burj al-Barajneh, where he was responsible for several elements that later became some of the most important operational leaders in the Lebanese party. Hamieh was also Mughniyeh’s deputy in the Jihad Network. Talal succeeded the former unit commander, Mustafa Badreddine, Jihad Mughniyeh’s son-in-law and successor, who was killed in Syria in 2016. He worked alongside Badreddine, Mughniyeh, and former Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, and was, according to Mossad information, responsible for transporting Hezbollah’s missile arsenal through Syria.
The United States and Israel accuse him of being responsible for carrying out violent attacks in 1982 against US Marines and French forces stationed in Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of 241 Americans and the wounding of 128. This contradicts the report that he did not begin his activities with Hezbollah until the mid-eighties, but this information is unconfirmed and depends on American and Israeli assumptions.
According to the American website " Rewards for Justice ", Hamieh was responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing attacks outside Lebanon. His name has been linked to many attacks, and he was accused of participating in the hijacking of a TWA plane in June 1985. He was likely one of the planners of the bombing of the Jewish Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which targeted the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) building and killed 85 people and injured hundreds.
The US classifies Hamieh as a wanted terrorist and has a $7 million bounty on him. The Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the identification or location of Talal Hamiyah, also known as Ismat Mezarani. Talal Hamiyah is the head of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization (ESO), which has organized cells around the world. The ESO is a component of Hezbollah responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon. The attacks have primarily targeted Israelis and Americans.
On September 13, 2012, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Hamiyah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, as amended, for his support of Hizballah’s terrorist activities in the Middle East and around the world. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all of Hamiyah’s property and interest in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Hamiyah. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly support, attempt to provide, or conspire to provide material support or resources to Hizballah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
Israeli intelligence believes that the "ghost" was responsible for recruiting Hezbollah cells around the world, especially in South America, Western Europe and Africa, according to a report by Al-Modon newspaper. Mossad also accused him of coordinating with Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army at the time - and the current leader of the Sadrist Movement - and other Shiite militias in Iraq immediately after the US invasion. Mossad also believes that the cells founded by Hamieh rely primarily on Iranian embassies and consulates to help transport weapons and provide logistical support. It is also believed that Hamieh worked alongside both the party's Secretary-General Nasrallah and the late Quds Force commander, General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in late December by a US drone.
Hamiya is responsible for many well-planned and executed armed attacks, and many countries have placed him on their terrorist lists. Hamieh uses fake companies, forged passports, and extensive human resources in a large number of countries around the world. The Israelis also accuse him of planning to carry out an attack in the Thai capital, Bangkok, against Israelis in 2012 in response to the assassination of Mughniyeh four years earlier.
By the late 1980s, the apparatus, led by Hamieh, nicknamed Abu Jaafar after his eldest son, had become an institutional apparatus. Starting in the 1990s, Hamieh headed Hezbollah's external operations unit, which, at the behest of Hassan Nasrallah, carried out sabotage operations outside Lebanon against Western targets and against anyone deemed a threat to Hezbollah.
Due to his position, Hamieh acted as a shadow man who carries out highly complex operations. He keeps away from social life except for his family and a small circle of friends. He avoids restaurants and adheres to strict security rules, especially in places other than his work environment in Beirut. Due to his austere lifestyle, he sometimes appears as a simple man who does not care much about his appearance and dresses in a ragged manner, while he adheres to a healthy lifestyle, abstaining from smoking and drinking coffee. His health is usually good.
In addition to his activity in the ranks of Hezbollah and his extensive relations with the Iranians, it is said that he entered the civilian sphere, exploiting his close friendships with them, as he owns several private shops from which he reaps huge profits. His high position and good health guarantee him many years in the ranks of Hezbollah’s leadership, but like any military leader, he may in the meantime be qualifying the next generation of leaders of the external operations unit, and a day may come when one of his sons, who is an active member of Hezbollah, will succeed him. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it launched an airstrike, which reportedly targeted senior Lebanese Hizballah (LH) commander Talal Hamieh in the Ghobeiry area in southern Beirut on 24 September 2024. Initial reports indicate the strike resulted in at least eight casualties, though exact figures have yet to be confirmed by authorities. He was then Hezbollah chief of operations outside Lebanon, also described as head of Unit 910, responsible for clandestine operations.
Lebanese based Al Jadeed TV reported that same day that the Israeli airstrikes on Beirut may have killed one of Hezbollah's key commanders, Talal Hamieh, who was in charge of the movement's rocket units. Although there was no official confirmation of Hamieh's death, the channel's source claims that he was in the area of the strike when Israeli aircraft carried out a series of precision attacks on Hezbollah positions and facilities. Talal Hamieh was considered a senior Hezbollah leader and was responsible for commanding the group's missile force, which plays a key role in the standoff with Israel. Hezbollah's missile arsenal has long been seen as one of the main threats to Israeli security, and the death of such an important commander could seriously weaken the movement's combat capabilities.
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