Unit 133 exposed!

  • At the head of Unit 133 is Mouhammad Ataya, who was previously a senior commander in Unit 1800.
  • Its purpose is to promote to mount terror attacks in Israel, in the West Bank, in Egypt and Jordan.
  • In contrast to Unit 1800, Unit 133 has a wide mandate and conducts operations almost globally. It focuses its activity in Eastern and Western Europe. As part of its activities Unit 133 is assisted by Lebanese drug dealers with connections in Israel.
  • In the summer 2012, the Unit made use of illegal drug dealers that it handled in order to smuggle an explosive charge weighing 20 kilograms through the Lebanese-Israeli border. This explosive charge has been exposed.
  • The unit's modus operandi is centered on human intelligence activity, including the spotting of potential candidates, their recruitment and handling.
  • The spotting and recruitment stages are relatively short. Due to the purpose and nature of the unit, the recruited assets are not only Shiite.
  • After their recruitment, the new recruits undergo military and security training in a wide range of spheres, including intelligence collection, recruitment of new assets, handling of sources, elaboration of a cover story, target acquisition and reconnaissance, surveillance.
  • Contact between the recruited asset and his handler is maintained by holding meetings in Syria and Lebanon, as well as in Europe, Asia and other locations.