Hezbollah’s operations against the Israeli army have slowed down compared to the intense activity two weeks ago.
This decrease was noticed despite Israel using significant military power that included over twenty airstrikes daily by fighter jets, ongoing artillery shelling, drone attacks, and the use of surveillance systems linked to drones.
This week, Hezbollah’s operations have ranged from five to eight, a notable drop from the previous period, which saw up to 20 military operations per day.
This reduction has also led to fewer human casualties in the last two weeks, with only one Hezbollah fighter reported killed in the past week.
Looking beyond the immediate situation, retired Col. and political-military researcher Khaled Hamada sees a regional connection.
Hamada believes there is a consistent link between the pace of operations in southern Lebanon and the broader regional context.
He notes that when Hezbollah engaged with Israel, “there was an active front in Gaza, and the group, supported by Iran, aimed to present itself as involved.”
“Hezbollah claimed genuine support for Gaza operations, despite inconsistencies between the pace of operations and the needed support for Gaza,” argued Hamada.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Hamada pointed out that Tehran was surprised by the tensions escalating across the Red Sea.
Iran expected the US to tolerate Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
However, unexpected US responses led Tehran to escalate with strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan under unclear reasons, turning the conflict into a multi-faceted issue beyond border skirmishes.
Hamada suggests a measured approach in southern Lebanon to anticipate potential developments that Iran may struggle to match.
The reduced intensity of operations reflects the need for calm on Israel’s northern front to prevent the situation from going beyond what Iran can handle.
It is important to mention that Hezbollah doesn’t provide specific details about its targets in its consecutive statements.
For instance, on Thursday, the Iran-backed group announced five military operations against Israeli targets, another five on Wednesday, six on Tuesday, and eight on Monday.
This represents a clear reduction in the number of operations compared to a significant escalation ten days ago when Israeli military facilities were bombed in response to the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior leader of Hamas and a founding commander of its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
