A look at how Hezbollah has changed military tactics

Pressure escalates among Hezbollah and the Israeli military as they exchange a barrage of attacks, with rockets reaching deeper into Israel. Meanwhile, villages in Southern Lebanon are in debris, pushing the conflict closer to a breaking point. 

On Sunday, Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford brings a report from the Israel-Lebanon border, alongside the UN, covering a deadly and escalating conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Israeli military, ongoing for nine months. 

“Tensions between the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group and Israel heightened on October 8th when Hezbollah initiated rocket attacks into Israel in solidarity with Palestinians. Since then, the conflict has seen nearly 5,000 exchanges of attacks, predominantly initiated by Israel. Hezbollah has notably adjusted its tactics, targeting deeper into Israeli territory, primarily along their shared border. In Lebanon, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced, while in Israel, evacuation of dozens of towns within 3km of the border has displaced around 60,000 people," Crawford reports. 

Beyond the border regions, Israel has been conducting deep strikes into Lebanon for some time, with Hezbollah recently escalating by launching a substantial rocket barrage into the Lower Galilee on July 7th, their furthest attack into Israeli territory to date. Additionally, Hezbollah has demonstrated capability in attacking Israeli air defenses, with drone surveillance missions over military sites in Haifa, a major coastal city. 

Critical Threats Middle East analyst Brian Carter highlights the significant impact on Israeli organizational psyche and national culture, as areas in northern Israel have effectively been ceded to Hezbollah due to ongoing rocket fire. “The fact that the IDF can't stop the drones over flying haifa has a big psychological impact on the Israelis and can create domestic political friction and that sort of domestic political friction does have impacts on hypothetical war effort,” Carter states. 

In a separate incident, a long-range Iranian-made drone, claimed by Yemen's Houthis (partners of Hezbollah), struck Tel Aviv, killing one and injuring four. The attack, not detected by air raid alarms, occurred near the US embassy, with footage suggesting it originated from the sea. 

The conflict continues

Israel is currently facing daily missile and artillery exchanges with Hezbollah along the Lebanese border, while conflict in Gaza continues. Additionally, the Houthis have escalated attacks on Israel and Western targets. Overall these developments have heightened concerns about a broader regional conflict, despite efforts from both sides to avoid full-scale war.