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Report: Hezbollah Returns to Guerrilla Roots, Awaits Israeli Invasion

Rockets are launched from Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Rockets are launched from Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 10, 2026. (Reuters)
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Report: Hezbollah Returns to Guerrilla Roots, Awaits Israeli Invasion

Rockets are launched from Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 10, 2026. (Reuters)
Rockets are launched from Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 10, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanon's Hezbollah is applying lessons from its last war with Israel as it braces for a possible full-scale Israeli invasion and protracted conflict, returning to its roots in guerrilla warfare in south Lebanon, four Lebanese sources told Reuters.

Operating in small units, fighters from the Iran-backed group are avoiding the use of communication devices that could be at risk of Israeli tapping, and are rationing the use of key anti-tank rockets as they engage Israeli troops, said the sources, who are familiar with Hezbollah military activities.

Some 15 months since Israel pounded Hezbollah in their last war, the group sparked a new Israeli offensive last week by opening fire to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Heavily criticized in Lebanon for dragging the country into a war that has displaced 700,000 people, Hezbollah ‌has described its actions ‌as "existential defense", framing it as a response to Israeli attacks that have continued since ‌a ⁠2024 ceasefire.

While Israel ⁠plans for the likely continuation of its Lebanon offensive after the Iran war, the four sources said Hezbollah's calculations are based on Iran's clerical leadership surviving the war, leading to a regional ceasefire of which it would be part.

FIGHTING FOCUSED AT INTERSECTION OF SYRIAN, ISRAELI BORDERS

The sources who are familiar with Hezbollah thinking declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The details of how Hezbollah is operating in the field have not previously been reported.

Hezbollah's media office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hezbollah, a Shiite group founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, was the only Lebanese group ⁠to keep its weapons at the end of the 1975-90 civil war to fight Israeli ‌troops who occupied the south until withdrawing in 2000.

Hezbollah's role in ‌driving them out has underpinned its popularity among many Shiites, though its decision to enter the Iran war has drawn criticism from ‌within the Shiite community.

This war has come at a critical juncture for Hezbollah.

Greatly weakened during the 2024 war, ‌Hezbollah has faced pressure from the Lebanese state to disarm. The Beirut government last week banned Hezbollah's military activities.

Adding to the pressures on Hezbollah since the 2024 war, its Syrian ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December of that year, severing the main supply route from Iran.

The sources said much of Hezbollah's fighting on the ground had been focused so far near the town of ‌Khiam, near the intersection of Lebanon's border with Israel and Syria.

This is one area where Hezbollah believes any Israeli land invasion could begin.

Reuters reported last week that Hezbollah's ⁠elite Radwan fighters, who withdrew ⁠from the south following the 2024 ceasefire, had returned to the area.

ISRAELI SOURCE: HEZBOLLAH STABILIZING RANKS DESPITE BLOWS

An Israeli security source said there was no sign that Hezbollah was looking to de-escalate - quite the opposite. While Israel had eliminated a few of Hezbollah's very senior commanders, it seemed that the group was managing to stabilize its ranks and make and execute decisions.

Two of the Lebanese sources said four deputies had been appointed for every Hezbollah commander, to ensure continued operations.

The Israeli military says it has struck hundreds of Hezbollah targets since March 2, launching airstrikes in the south, Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

The Israeli military has also sent more soldiers into south Lebanon, where some of its troops had remained since 2024, establishing what it has called forward defensive positions to guard against the risk of Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.

Hezbollah has launched daily drone and rocket attacks at Israel.

In 2024, not only did Israel booby-trap hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah, but it also penetrated the group's private phone network, according to Lebanese officials familiar with Hezbollah's post-war investigation into breaches.

The sources said Hezbollah was avoiding any devices that could be susceptible to eavesdropping.

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Arab World

Crisis Looms in Southern Iraq over Water, Electricity Shortages

People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
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Crisis Looms in Southern Iraq over Water, Electricity Shortages

People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)
People protest in Dhi Qar over frequent power outages. (Social media)

The worsening electricity crisis in Iraq continues to burden most of the population, amid rising temperatures that have surpassed 50 degrees Celsius in some southern governorates.

There are fears that the crisis could lead to local conflicts between some governorates, given that some receive up to 20 hours of power, while others receive only about 10 at best.

In Dhi Qar, a number of residents threatened to cut off water from the Al-Bidaa canal and prevent it from reaching the Basra Governorate in the far south if they do not receive more hours of electricity. A video showed dozens of citizens holding signs that read: "Water for electricity."

The canal is a main channel for drinking water to Basra, flowing from the Tigris River through Dhi Qar. Cutting it off may lead to a humanitarian and service crisis for millions of Basra residents, who already suffer from water salinity and irregular supply to their homes.

An official source in Dhi Qar dismissed the citizens' ability to cut off the water supply. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the protests reflect anger over deteriorating electricity services in the governorate, but it will not reach the stage of cutting off water or bartering it for electricity.

The source said the problem relates to the Al-Fuhoud and Al-Chibayish areas bordering Basra.

Al-Chibayish receives enough electricity from Basra, unlike the Al-Fuhoud, which receives around two hours for every four-hour cut from Dhi Qar, making the residents’ anger justified, added the source.

The official source said the crisis is not limited to Dhi Qar, but affects most of Iraq, especially the south.

Citizens in six governorates, including Baghdad, demonstrated a few days ago to protest the shortage of electricity.

In Wasit, which borders Dhi Qar, hundreds took to the streets over the past two days in protest against the power cuts.

The demonstrations led to clashes with police and anti-riot forces, who were forced to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, prompting criticism from MPs who demanded a probe into the unrest.

Energy officials and experts warned that the crisis will likely continue for years due to the stark disparity between demand and production capacity. The country's needs are estimated at around 60,000 megawatts, while current production does not exceed 25,000 megawatts.

Arab World

Iraq PM Aiming for Legislation that Limits Possession of Weapons to the State

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
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Iraq PM Aiming for Legislation that Limits Possession of Weapons to the State

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed that October 1 will be a new chapter for the state after the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from the country.

By then, it would have achieved national sovereingty over its territories as it continues to build its military and security capabilities to allow it to protect its security and stability by itself, he added.

September 30 is the deadline for both the withdrawal of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition forces from Iraq and pro-Iran armed factions to lay down their weapons.

The PM made his remarks during a meeting with Commander of the US Central Command Brad Cooper in Baghdad.

Al-Zaidi underscored the deadline for the troop withdrawal, adding that imposing state monopoly over weapons “according to the law, protects everyone and bolsters the authority and sovereignty of the state.”

“It is a condition for Iraq to move to a new phase of development,” he stressed.

The PM said he was aiming for a draft-law on limiting the possession of weapons to the state.

Sources said that this may lead to a potential confrontation with the armed factions that refuse to lay down their weapons.

Meeting with members of the parliamentary security and defense committee, al-Zaidi said that the “greatest threat to the state” was the possession of weapons outside state control because it undermines the rule of law and state institutions.

He called for preparing the draft-law, stressing the need to “bolster the standing of the state and its sovereignty and institutions.”

Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that military and security forces should be under the command of civilian authority. It bars the formation of militias outside state frameworks.

He noted that the law that established the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2016 says that they are a state formation, but it demands that its members quit any parties they are members of.

The greatest challenge with the state imposing state monopoly over arms is “defining the concept of weapons.” He explained that the armed factions believe their weapons are part of a “resistance” and in line with the PMF law.

The state, on the other hand, views these weapons as outside its authority and they need to come under its control, he added.

Arab World

Syria Forms Committee to Seek Interpol Handover of Assad-Era Figures

Syrians celebrate outside the Omari Mosque in Daraa, where the Syrian uprising began in 2011, after a Syrian court sentenced Atef Najib, the official responsible for the crackdown in the city, to death (dpa)
Syrians celebrate outside the Omari Mosque in Daraa, where the Syrian uprising began in 2011, after a Syrian court sentenced Atef Najib, the official responsible for the crackdown in the city, to death (dpa)
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Syria Forms Committee to Seek Interpol Handover of Assad-Era Figures

Syrians celebrate outside the Omari Mosque in Daraa, where the Syrian uprising began in 2011, after a Syrian court sentenced Atef Najib, the official responsible for the crackdown in the city, to death (dpa)
Syrians celebrate outside the Omari Mosque in Daraa, where the Syrian uprising began in 2011, after a Syrian court sentenced Atef Najib, the official responsible for the crackdown in the city, to death (dpa)

Syria has formed a committee to seek the extradition of criminals sentenced to death in absentia, Deputy Justice Minister Mustafa al-Qassem said on Wednesday, as the government defended the rulings against criticism from Amnesty International.

Al-Qassem said the committee would coordinate with Interpol to secure the handover of those convicted to Syria.

A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and several senior figures from his rule to death, including former security official Atef Najib, in the first rulings of their kind since the former government was overthrown in late 2024.

Cheers and chants erupted inside the courtroom, through the corridors of the Palace of Justice and outside the building as the verdicts were announced.

“We have established offices to receive complaints related to transitional justice crimes, and we are seeking to recover Syrians’ stolen funds and pursue those who invested them abroad,” al-Qassem told Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya television.

He said international cooperation, particularly in the handover of fugitives, would help accelerate Syria’s transitional justice process.

Al-Qassem said the Justice Ministry was also seeking the closest possible alignment between Syrian judicial procedures and international trial standards, while stressing Syria’s national sovereignty in matters of transitional justice.

The Justice Ministry, meanwhile, pushed back against Amnesty International’s criticism of Tuesday’s rulings, saying the group’s statement “does not accurately reflect the nature of the judicial procedures followed in these cases or the safeguards guaranteed to litigants under Syrian law.”

Amnesty said the government, if it wanted to “truly turn the page on the horrors of the past,” should end trials in absentia and the death penalty, criminalize core crimes under international law in domestic legislation and undertake comprehensive judicial reform.

It said prosecutions should take place before ordinary civilian courts, with victims participating and without resorting to capital punishment, as part of a nationwide, victim-centered strategy aimed at establishing truth, delivering justice and providing reparations.

The ministry said the cases were heard before a competent civilian criminal court by qualified judges, with victims and their representatives taking part in accordance with legal procedures.

It said constitutional and legal safeguards were observed, along with relevant principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

The trials, it added, were based on facts, evidence and judicial case files, with defendants guaranteed rights of defense, appeal and objection under applicable procedures.

The ministry said Syria’s current circumstances, after years of crimes and violations, placed a legal and moral duty on the state to deliver justice and hold those responsible to account.

That responsibility, it said, did not justify bypassing constitutional or legal safeguards or diminishing the rights of any party to a case.

Justice was being pursued through state institutions and within their jurisdiction, the ministry said, “in a manner that preserves victims’ right to redress and defendants’ right to a trial under the law, away from revenge or politicization.”

On capital punishment, the ministry said the death penalty remained part of Syrian law and could only be imposed by a court ruling based on law, evidence and facts.

Any execution, it said, would be subject to prescribed legal safeguards and could take place only after all stages and procedures required by law and the competent authorities had been completed.

The ministry also defended trials in absentia, saying that when permitted by law and conducted under the required conditions, they did not, in themselves, undermine fair-trial guarantees or the legality of the proceedings.

It reiterated its willingness to engage with international rights groups and consider observations that could help improve Syria’s justice system.

But it said evaluating judicial procedures, ruling on cases and determining responsibility and punishment remained the jurisdiction of the Syrian judiciary, operating under the constitution and the law while safeguarding the rights of all parties and victims’ right to justice.

Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais told Al-Ikhbariya on Tuesday that the ruling against Atef Najib had been issued in the name of the entire Syrian people.

He said the verdict showed that no one was above the law, regardless of status or position, and that rights would ultimately be restored to those entitled to them, however long it took.