Hezbollah Prepares for War of Attrition with New Leadership to Lead the Battle

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The Lebanese Hezbollah, which has been severely impacted over the past three weeks by Israeli strikes that claimed the lives of several senior members, including its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his two potential successors, is attempting to reorganize its ranks in preparation for a broader Israeli ground offensive in southern Lebanon and a long war of attrition.

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The detonation of communication devices such as pagers and phones used by Hezbollah fighters and members dealt a heavy blow, disrupting communications between various military and political units, paving the way for further decisive strikes. The series of assassinations also revealed an unprecedented Israeli infiltration into the armed Shiite group.

Two sources familiar with Hezbollah‘s operations stated that the group is preparing for a prolonged war of attrition in southern Lebanon, following the killing of its leaders, with a new military leadership overseeing rocket launches and ground operations.

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Friends and enemies are currently observing Hezbollah‘s effectiveness in resisting Israeli forces that have infiltrated Lebanon with the declared aim of pushing it away from the borders.

Four sources familiar with the group’s operations said that the Iran-backed group still holds a large stockpile of weapons, including its most powerful precision missiles, which have not yet been used, despite waves of Israeli airstrikes that Israel claims have severely depleted Hezbollah‘s arsenal.

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Two sources, one a Hezbollah field commander and the other close to the group, told Reuters that Hezbollah’s leadership was in disarray in the days following Nasrallah‘s assassination on September 27, but a new “operations room” was established 72 hours later.

Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders, along with a senior Iranian military commander, were killed when Israel bombed the group’s underground headquarters in Beirut.

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The two sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said that the new command center is operational despite repeated Israeli attacks, meaning that fighters in southern Lebanon are capable of fighting and launching rockets according to orders from central command.

A third source, a senior official close to Hezbollah, stated that the group is now engaged in a war of attrition. Avraham Levin, an analyst at the Israeli Alma research institute, said that Hezbollah should be assumed to be “well-prepared and waiting” for Israeli forces and that it is not an easy target.

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Levin told Reuters: “The fact that the command chain has been destroyed does not negate the ability to fire at Israeli residential areas or attempt to strike” Israeli forces, describing Hezbollah as “the same powerful terrorist army we all know.”

The Hezbollah field commander said that fighters are flexible in executing orders “according to the front’s capabilities,” describing the new leadership as a “tight circle” in direct contact with the field. It is rare for a Hezbollah field commander to speak to international media.

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He confirmed that the new leadership operates in complete secrecy and gave no further details on its communications or structure. Hezbollah has not yet appointed a new secretary-general following Nasrallah’s death and the killing of his potential successor.

Naïm Kassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, expressed his support for ceasefire efforts this week, but said that the group’s capabilities “remain intact.”

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