By Nohad Topalian | 2025-03-19

BEIRUT -- A senior Hizbullah official's recent public acknowledgement of major security breaches that resulted in the loss of top leadership has broken the party's messaging discipline and exposed deep internal divisions.

In a March 4 interview that aired on the party's Al-Mayadeen TV, Hizbullah's head of resources and borders Nawaf al-Moussawi admitted technical and human security vulnerabilities contributed to the "pager attacks" and other deaths.

Numerous top-tier commanders were killed in the Israeli attacks and ensuing strikes, including Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashim Safieddine.

"The scale of the shortcomings and vulnerabilities is significant," al-Moussawi said, adding that Israel's gains were not due to superior intelligence but rather "our own shortcomings, and at times, negligence."

"What happened to Hizbullah was an earthquake that ended its dominance in Lebanon," political analyst Marwan al-Amin told Al-Fassel.

"The aftershocks were immediate, with Bashar al-Assad's fall in Syria and the collapse of Iran's regional proxy system."

Al-Moussawi's admissions point to "administrative, security and military decay within Hizbullah," he said.

Public opinion, particularly among Hizbullah's traditional base, "is not convinced by the party's victory narrative and has serious questions about it," al-Amin said.

"They realize there's no such thing as victory when losing someone like Hassan Nasrallah, nor when they cannot access their border villages and homes after previously living there securely."

He noted that "Hizbullah is in a state of major disarray... incapable of rebuilding" and blaming the state for its shortcomings and challenges.

Deep internal rifts

"Al-Moussawi's statements serve multiple purposes," Southerners for Freedom coordinator Hussein Ataya told Al-Fassel.

They serve to expose internal rifts "by criticizing senior officials who fled to Iraq and Iran during the conflict, while deflecting blame from Tehran for Hizbullah's losses," he explained.

"These same officials are now, paradoxically, being considered for leadership positions," Ataya noted.

"Even as Hizbullah struggles to rebuild its organizational and military structure, it keeps proclaiming victory, despite the loss of its senior political, historical and military leadership," he added.

"What al-Moussawi revealed shows Hizbullah's deep internal rifts."

"The leadership gaps, especially in the new leadership and Shura Council, have not yet been filled, and the focus has mostly been on field commanders," Middle East Center for Strategic Studies Director Hisham Jaber told Asharq al-Awsat.

Al-Moussawi's admissions have effectively dismantled Hizbullah's military and ideological narrative, observers told Janoubia news website.

They viewed his frank assessment as a necessary "political realism" that replaces the hollow victory claims and attempts to dodge reconstruction responsibilities.

The candid admissions have sparked anger within Hizbullah's ranks, with some officials pushing for disciplinary measures against al-Moussawi that could include his expulsion, sources told An-Nahar newspaper.