Before the Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon on October 1st, the occupation launched a series of military attacks and assassinations targeting Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure. These operations included the assassination of senior leader Fuad Shukr on July 30th and the destruction of thousands of beepers and wireless communication devices relied on by Hezbollah members. These attacks resulted in the deaths of 39 individuals and injured nearly 3,000 civilians and military personnel.
The occupation also dropped 85 bunker-busting bombs, leading to the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and other prominent leaders, including Ali Karaki, the third-ranking military commander in the party, and Abbas Nilforushan, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard operations.
Despite these losses, as reported by the American news agency “Associated Press,” Hezbollah still retains its strength and continues to launch rockets at Israel. The party announced that it repelled an Israeli infiltration attempt yesterday, destroying three Merkava tanks. On the other hand, the Israeli occupation army acknowledged the deaths of eight soldiers, including three officers, after crossing the Lebanese border.
Israeli media reported a “serious and unusual event,” as a group of Israeli infantry and vehicles retreated behind the Blue Line after attempting to infiltrate towards Maroun al-Ras.
In this report, we provide a detailed look at Hezbollah’s situation after its recent losses and the implications for its strategy and future capabilities amidst ongoing escalation.
Who Are the Remaining Hezbollah Leaders in Power?
Hezbollah has suffered significant losses, with nearly 500 fighters killed since it began its attacks on Israeli occupation forces in the north in support of Gaza in early October.
A report by “Associated Press” suggests that Hezbollah likely lost hundreds more during the recent Israeli bombardment of Lebanon over the past weeks.
The party has lost some of its most experienced military leaders, including its top military commander Fuad Shukr, Ibrahim Aqil, who was in charge of the Radwan force, Ibrahim Qubaisi, Hezbollah’s missile commander, drone unit commander Mohammad Sarour, and Hezbollah’s southern Lebanon forces commander Ali Karaki.
Among the leaders who remain active are Talal Hamiyeh, responsible for Hezbollah’s external operations, and Khodr Nader, head of the group’s security unit. Hezbollah has denied the Israeli occupation’s claim that it killed senior military leader known as Abu Ali Reza, commander of the Badr unit.
Furthermore, Hashem Safieddine, a powerful figure within Hezbollah and the cousin of Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, is still alive and is a potential successor to Nasrallah in the role of Secretary General. Safieddine has strong ties to Iran, as his son Reza is married to Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force.
In 1994, Hezbollah summoned Safieddine from the seminary in Qom to assume political and military responsibilities. He was one of three leaders trained by the late commander Imad Mughniyeh, alongside Hassan Nasrallah and Nabil Farouk.
After returning, Safieddine assumed the presidency of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, which acts as an internal government, overseeing domestic policy implementation, administrative development, and managing the party’s institutions and funds, both domestically and abroad, particularly in the Arab world, Africa, and Latin America.
Over time, Safieddine has become the party’s second-in-command after Nasrallah, blending roles in both the political and military wings, making him one of Hezbollah’s most prominent leaders.
Hezbollah’s Forces
In 2021, former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated that the party’s fighters numbered around 100,000. However, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported in March 2024 that Hezbollah has approximately 30,000 active fighters and up to 20,000 reserves, according to a research paper.
Reports also indicate that fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad operate in Lebanon, although their numbers are small. There are also forces from the Islamic Group’s (Muslim Brotherhood Lebanon) Fajr unit, which is relatively small. While the group often opposes Hezbollah on domestic Lebanese issues due to Sunni-Shia polarization, it supports Hezbollah’s struggle against Israel out of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
According to the CSIS, Hezbollah’s forces primarily consist of light infantry units, trained for mobility, concealment, and operating independently.
The group has adopted a version of what the United States calls “mission command,” which allows subordinates to make independent decisions on the battlefield based on the commander’s intent.
This structural design enables Hezbollah to operate effectively even under the superior firepower of Israel, according to the center.
During the 2006 war, Hezbollah designed its missile units to establish launch sites and disperse within 28 seconds, utilizing pre-prepared equipment such as underground bunkers and mountain bikes to reduce the chance of being targeted by airstrikes.
After the war, the party continued to enhance this approach by decentralizing its command and control and reorganizing its forces to repel the Israeli occupation forces into more complex areas. In these areas, Hezbollah fighters can take advantage of fortified and concealed positions, increasing their mobility and camouflage while reducing the effectiveness of Israel’s firepower.
Hezbollah announced it had repelled an Israeli infiltration attempt yesterday, destroying three Merkava tanks. The Israeli occupation army admitted to the death of eight soldiers, including three officers, after crossing the Lebanese border.
Today, Israeli media reported a “serious and unusual event,” as a group of Israeli infantry and vehicles retreated behind the Blue Line after attempting to infiltrate towards Maroun al-Ras.
Where Are Hezbollah’s Forces Deployed?
According to a report by the “Associated Press,” Hezbollah consists of five main units, each comprising several thousand fighters.
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- Nasr Unit: Deployed in the southeastern areas bordering Israel, including the edge of the occupied Golan Heights.
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- Aziz Unit: Based in the southwest, including the Mediterranean coast. Both unit commanders were killed in Israeli airstrikes earlier this year, but it is believed they have been replaced.
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- Badr Unit: Positioned in the mountainous region known as the Tuffah District, which overlooks much of southern Lebanon and has been a Hezbollah stronghold since the late 1980s.
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- Haider Unit: Located in the eastern Bekaa Valley.
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- Dahiyah Unit: Spread across the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah’s headquarters are located, and where Hassan Nasrallah was recently assassinated.
In addition to these units, Hezbollah also has the elite Radwan Force, which comprises several thousand fighters, some of whom are stationed along the border with Israel. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV channel said Israeli occupation forces would “soon meet the experienced Radwan fighters” if they decided to launch a ground invasion.
What Are Hezbollah’s Tunnel Networks?
The French newspaper “Libération” revealed in an investigation that Hezbollah has a secret network of tunnels even more advanced than those of Hamas in Gaza. The investigation found that:
Hezbollah’s tunnels stretch hundreds of kilometers with branches reaching into Israel. The party has established a defensive plan with dozens of underground command centers, connecting Beirut, Bekaa, and southern Lebanon. After the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah, with assistance from North Korea and Iran, developed an extensive regional tunnel network in Lebanon, far surpassing Hamas’ tunnels, according to Israel’s Alma Research Center.
According to Reuters, Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London’s School of Security Studies, stated that unlike Gaza, where most tunnels are manually dug into sandy soil, the tunnels in Lebanon are carved deep into mountain rock, making them much harder to access and destroy.
Hezbollah’s Arsenal:
Hezbollah’s missile and rocket arsenal has been significantly utilized during the ongoing conflict, and despite the intense bombing campaign by Israeli air forces, the party continues to carry out cross-border attacks and reveal new weapons capabilities.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah fired a new type of missile, the Fadi 4, targeting the Galil base used by Israeli military intelligence and the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv. The party also launched similar strikes on a nearby airbase.
The group’s drone fleet, boasting over 2,000 UAVs, plays a key role in reconnaissance and explosive missions, with advanced Iranian-made drones, such as the Shahed 136, further bolstering its capacity to strike deep into Israel.
