Department 2800 (Hezbollah Special Operations)

Department 2800 is a specialized Hezbollah unit, historically responsible for training militants and conducting external special operations, primarily in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria.

Origins & leadership

Department 2800 was established in the early 1980s as Hezbollah was consolidating its military and intelligence structures. In 1983, Ali Mussa Daqduq , a prominent Hezbollah commander, joined Hezbollah and was appointed as commander of Department 2800. Daqduq's leadership marked the unit's rise as a key player in Hezbollah's special operations, including coordination of large-scale operations and personal security for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Daqduq later led its successor, Unit 3800, focused on training Shiite militias aligned with Iran in Iraq and Yemen.^[6][5][1]

Mission & activities

Initially, Department 2800 oversaw elite fighter training, including guerrilla tactics, intelligence gathering, and targeted operations, reflecting Hezbollah's close ties with Iran's Quds Force.^[6][2] The unit was instrumental in developing Hezbollah's capacity for external operations, serving as a model for later units like Unit 3800, which focused on training and supporting Iraqi Shiite militias after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Through its activities, Department 2800 has contributed to Hezbollah's reputation as a highly capable militant organization, able to conduct sophisticated operations both regionally and internationally.^[6][2][1][4]

Regional expansion and legacy

The operational experience and expertise developed in Department 2800 laid the foundation for Hezbollah's later involvement in regional proxy warfare, particularly in Iraq and Syria.^[4] Daqduq's leadership in Department 2800 and subsequent units demonstrates Hezbollah's close operational ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), especially in training and supporting allied militias.^[2][4] After his release from Iraqi custody in 2012, Daqduq returned to Lebanon to train Hezbollah's elite forces and, starting in 2018, was tasked with building a clandestine Hezbollah network in southern Syria along the Israeli border.^[4]

Notable operations and developments

Department 2800's alumni, like Daqduq, have been linked to attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, including the infamous January 20, 2007, Karbala raid that resulted in the deaths of five American soldiers.^[2][4] The unit's operational doctrine and personnel have influenced the structure and tactics of other Hezbollah special forces, such as the elite Radwan Force and the “Golan File” network in Syria.^[4]

Key figure

Ali Mussa Daqduq

Daqduq led Department 2800, coordinating personal security for Nasrallah, and later managed Unit 3800 activities in Iraq. He was detained by U.S. forces in 2007 over a deadly attack in Karbala and released in 2012. He subsequently led Hezbollah's “Golan File” in southern Syria and served as deputy commander of the Radwan Force before being killed in an Israeli strike in November 2024.^[4]

See also

• Hezbollah
• Unit 121
• Unit 3800
• Radwan Force
• Unit 900
• Unit 910