Hezbollah, after taking significant hits from Israel, is regrouping for a long war of attrition in southern Lebanon. Despite the loss of its top leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah, and heavy Israeli airstrikes, Hezbollah isn’t backing down. Instead, the group has set up a new “operations room” to coordinate its fighters and rocket attacks, showing just how determined they are to keep fighting—even when their leadership has been wiped out.
What’s fascinating, or should we say predictable, is how Hezbollah still boasts about having a stockpile of precision missiles, even though Israel claims to have depleted much of their arsenal. But with a new command center in place just 72 hours after Nasrallah’s death, they’re firing rockets and engaging in ground battles, showing they aren’t ready to throw in the towel.
Hezbollah’s ability to recover so quickly, after losing not only its leader but other senior figures, is something to note. While they’ve taken some serious hits, they’re still using their extensive tunnel network to fight, a strategy Israel is all too familiar with from their 2006 war. Hezbollah’s tunnels, which have been years in the making, are now being touted as the backbone of this new battle. Israeli forces have already released footage of these tunnels, claiming to have captured some of them. But here’s the kicker: Hezbollah insists Israel hasn’t even scratched the surface of their tunnel system, which they say was built to one day infiltrate Israel’s Galilee region.
While Israeli analysts acknowledge that Hezbollah’s chain of command has been damaged, they still recognize Hezbollah as a formidable force. Andreas Krieg from King’s College London summed it up perfectly: Hezbollah’s capabilities may be weakened, but they still have the power to fire rockets into Israel with intensity. And let’s not forget that they’re holding back their ballistic missiles as a last resort, saving their most powerful weapons for later.
For now, Israel has deployed thousands of troops into southern Lebanon, engaging in close combat with Hezbollah fighters. It’s a high-stakes game, with both sides suffering losses. Israel says 12 of its soldiers have been killed, but Hezbollah remains defiant, claiming they’re resisting Israeli incursions and watching Israeli troops from concealed positions.
It’s clear that Hezbollah is down, but not out. They’ve lost their leaders, they’re under heavy bombardment, but they’re still standing.
