ISRAEL has developed a new elite combat unit which would be used in a future war with the Lebanese Shi’ite Hezbollah movement, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

According to a report on the Walla news site, the new unit — codenamed “Ghosts” — is made up of soldiers recruited from other elite units in the armed forces.

It was originally established in 2019 and was developed for “secret capabilities,” the report said. 

The unit “combines advanced and diversified intelligence and aerial fire capabilities,” the report said, adding that senior officers and soldiers have been tasked with developing the unit’s technological capabilities.

Their work will entail activating drones, secret communication capabilities and control and monitoring systems, the Walla report said.

It said that the unit, which bears the number 888, would be responsible for tracking and monitoring “enemy forces” and revealing their locations, with a focus on Hezbollah’s elite units in southern Lebanon.

Rumours have persisted among Hezbollah sources of a possible Israeli invasion of the country.

This was given some credence after Tel Aviv shelled southern Lebanon last week, in what it said was a response to missiles being launched from the Hezbollah stronghold.

Israeli jets struck targets in Syria on three occasions last week, with claims that Hezbollah fighters were killed in the attacks.

The Shi’ite forces have been deployed to join Syrian armed forces in their fight against jihadist groups that once held vast swathes of territory.

Israeli drones were spotted over the Lebanese capital Beirut last week, while the Israeli military has warned that it holds Lebanon responsible for any attacks launched by Hezbollah.