File image.
Hezbollah has spent the past three months rebuilding its military capabilities and preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel, following an influx of funding from Iran, Reuters reported on October 26, citing Lebanese security officials familiar with the group’s activities.
The group has focused on acquiring explosives and producing drones capable of attacking Israeli positions, according to two Lebanese security sources, who said that the group has also been working to restore command-and-control structures damaged during its previous battles with Israeli forces.
One of the security sources and another person close to Hezbollah said Iran had provided the group with tens of millions of dollars to strengthen its military capabilities.
The funding comes in addition to roughly $200 million Tehran provided to help displaced families in Hezbollah’s Shiite strongholds, Reuters reported earlier this month.
Hezbollah suffered heavy losses during two wars since 2023, and Israeli forces continue to occupy vast parts of southern Lebanon as a so-called “security zone.”
Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts come amid continued regional tensions following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The group opened fire on Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran, prompting an Israeli offensive that killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced roughly a quarter of the country’s population.
Hostilities largely subsided over the summer after an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran included a ceasefire in Lebanon, while the U.S. mediated talks between Beirut and Jerusalem.
Full-scale fighting has not resumed despite the subsequent collapse of the U.S.-Iranian agreement, but Israel has continued striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah is now preparing for the possibility that renewed U.S.-Iranian fighting could trigger another round of war on the Lebanese front, according to Reuters. However, the Lebanese security sources told the news agency that the group had not yet fully rebuilt its weapons stockpiles or restored its fighting force.
The group has also faced difficulties repairing its command structure after losses in key areas, including around the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil and the strategically important Ali al-Taher ridge, according to the sources and three other security officials familiar with its operations.
Hezbollah’s use of small units and limited anti-tank missile supplies reportedly left some fighters isolated during those battles, making it difficult for them to counter Israeli remotely operated weapons systems, including drones and remote-controlled vehicles.
The Israeli military told Reuters that it uses such systems to monitor southern Lebanon while reducing the exposure of its troops to danger.
The rearmament effort has also involved explosives intended for use in drones. Hezbollah acknowledged this month that explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belonged to the group and were intended for attacks against Israel.
A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters that the material was specifically intended for explosive-laden drones.
In response to questions from Reuters, Hezbollah’s media office said Israel’s presence on Lebanese territory gave the group a legitimate right to resist. It also rejected claims that its command-and-control systems had broken down.
While Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses as the Reuters report suggests, the claim that the group is overall getting weaker does not match its performance during the last round of fighting, when it expanded the use of drones, especially first-person-view suicide quadcopters, inflicting some serious damage on Israeli forces and limiting their freedom of operation in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah is not likely to start another confrontation with Israel if war on Iran resumes. However, Israel itself could escalate to expand its occupation.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
would love to see one of your … ‘graphics: military situation in …’ for lebanon. how far has the idf pushed into s. lebanon?