Hezbollah's war with Israel has become existential, 'military source' says

Hezbollah's war against Israel, which the terror organization began on October 8 of last year, has evolved from supporting Hamas in Gaza to becoming an existential fight, a "military source" told the pro-Syrian Lebanese news outlet Ad-Diyar on Friday.

The shift reportedly comes as Hezbollah understands that Israel is pivoting its military weight from Gaza to the northern front.

Earlier this week, speaking to the IDF’s 9th Brigade after it concluded exercises in northern Israel in preparation for ground maneuvers in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “The center of gravity is shifting to the north. While we are wrapping up our missions in the South, an important task remains in the North: to restore security and allow residents to return to their homes."

Israel expresses readiness for Lebanon action

Gallant went on to emphasize that the rhetoric about the IDF entering Lebanon was more than just talk, saying that, as Israeli forces entered Gaza weeks after the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, “the same with happen [in the North].”

Further, Maariv on Saturday published an interview with Col. Itzik Alfasi, the commander of the 179th Armored Brigade, who stated that the brigade had, after honing its abilities in Gaza, had trained for and was ready for “the big event” in Lebanon.

Avi Ashkenazi, Maariv’s military correspondent, noted that this referred to combat in Lebanon.

The source that spoke to Ad-Diyar stated that Israel’s objective in any war against Hezbollah would be to eliminate the Lebanese terror group completely.

The source, however, expressed skepticism of the IDF being able to achieve that goal, citing Hezbollah’s military experience.

The military source went on to justify Hezbollah’s decision to launch a war against Israel last October, claiming to the Lebanese news source that the choice to attack was not a random, hasty decision.

Rather, it was reportedly decided upon after the group’s leadership assessed that the current Israeli government “came to power on the basis of a final displacement program that would target the Lebanese as much as it would target the Palestinians.”

Netanyahu’s government assumed office in 2022, roughly one year before Hamas’s October 7 massacre and Hezbollah’s subsequent decision to start a war with the Jewish state.