(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On the same day, in a speech marking the anniversary of the war, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told his supporters that "we are working day and night to confront "Israel"." But unlike the war, this time Hizbullah did not attack directly on the border fence, but rather passed around it deftly. Just as in the Bulgaria attack in which five "Israelis" were killed, Hizbullah was seeking to kill without a trace, to hint to its followers "we did this," but not to leave clear traces behind that would provoke a sharp retaliation from "Israel".

 The thwarted bomb smuggling ring teaches us a lot about Hizbullah's current situation. Unlike in 2006, Hizbullah fears a direct confrontation with "Israel" and is refraining from open provocations, preferring to operate covertly and indirectly, without boasting and without leaving fingerprints. This is clear evidence that along with its buildup of missiles and rockets and its attempts to get it hands on more advanced weaponry (chemical weapons, anti-aircraft missiles and surface-to-sea missiles), Hizbullah has remained deterred and fearful of an "Israeli" response. 

 This pressure is intensifying amid the notion that Hizbullah "is not delivering the goods," at least in the eyes of its followers, something that could lead Hizbullah to lose its jihadi preeminence to other, lesser groups. Add to this complex political situation in Lebanon the destabilization of the Syrian regime - a pillar of support for Hizbullah - and you realize why the Shiite organization is ready to give up on its declared values and team up with drug smugglers in an attempt to attack "Israel".

 Hizbullah's latest effort to attack "Israel" was thwarted with the seizure of advanced explosive materials (C4) and detonation mechanisms in Nazareth. The uncovering of the explosives and the arrest of the smugglers was carried out even though the drug dealers were not involved in terror activities and did not plan to take part in the attack. Investigators were tempted to wait until the terror cell came to collect the explosives, but ultimately decided not to allow such a large amount of explosives the chance to be dispersed throughout the country, worried that they could disappear. The ISA believes, however, that a terror cell had not yet been enlisted for an attack and that the explosives were intended for use in future attacks, without a specific date or location.

 Just as in Sinai, this incident in the north shows just how dangerous the links between criminal and terrorist elements can be and also the ease with which terrorist groups take advantage of smuggling routes for attacks. The incident also brought the northern border town of Ghajar back into the headlines. Despite fences on the border and checkpoints, as well as intelligence information and intensive patrolling by U.N. forces and IDF troops, Ghajar continues to serve as a dangerous breach through which Hezbollah injects poison into "Israel". This time the plot was foiled, but the mechanism itself could still invite greater threats in the future.

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