Despite suffering heavy military losses in successive wars with Israel, Hezbollah has spent the past three months rebuilding its fighting capabilities, securing millions of dollars in Iranian funding and preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities, according to Lebanese security officials cited by Reuters.
The preparations reportedly include acquiring explosives, manufacturing drones capable of striking Israeli positions and restoring military command structures severely damaged during previous confrontations.
The revelations suggest that Hezbollah, despite mounting pressure to surrender its weapons and continued Israeli occupation of parts of southern Lebanon, has no intention of abandoning its military resistance.
Reuters based its findings on accounts from Lebanese security officials familiar with Hezbollah’s activities, alongside a source close to the movement.
Hezbollah Uses Fighting Lull to Rebuild Its Arsenal
Hezbollah has suffered substantial military setbacks in two wars with Israel since 2024, losing significant operational capabilities while facing an increasingly difficult political environment inside Lebanon.
Israeli forces continue to occupy areas in southern Lebanese villages that have historically served as Hezbollah strongholds, while political pressure has intensified in Beirut to disarm the organisation.
Yet the movement has remained committed to confronting Israel.
Two Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Hezbollah has used the relative lull in fighting since June to replenish its military capabilities, concentrating particularly on acquiring explosives and producing drones that could be deployed against Israeli military positions.
The effort represents an attempt to restore the group’s ability to sustain military operations despite the damage inflicted during previous rounds of fighting.
The preparations also indicate that Hezbollah is treating the possibility of another confrontation as a practical military concern rather than a distant scenario.
Iran Provides Millions as Hezbollah Restores Its Military Network
Financial assistance from Tehran has reportedly played a central role in Hezbollah’s rebuilding efforts.
One Lebanese security official and another source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that the movement had received tens of millions of dollars in Iranian funding to strengthen its military capabilities.
That financial support comes in addition to approximately $200 million provided by Iran to assist displaced families in Hezbollah’s stronghold areas.
The distinction is significant: while one stream of funding is reportedly directed towards rebuilding military capabilities, the other is intended to support families displaced by the fighting.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah is working to reconstruct the command-and-control structures that were severely damaged during decisive battles with Israel.
One source familiar with the Iranian funding, together with three other security officials familiar with Hezbollah’s operations, confirmed that efforts were underway to restore these organisational networks.
Rebuilding those structures is a critical component of Hezbollah’s preparations, alongside replenishing weapons and expanding drone production.
The accounts suggest that the movement is attempting to recover not only its material capabilities but also the operational coordination disrupted during the wars.
Hezbollah Defends Armed Resistance Amid Israeli Occupation
The reported military preparations come at a time when Hezbollah faces pressure from within Lebanon to relinquish its weapons.
However, the movement has linked its continued armed resistance to Israel’s occupation of Lebanese territory.
Responding to questions from Reuters, Hezbollah’s media office maintained that Israel’s occupation of Lebanese land makes resistance against it a legitimate right.
The position reflects the movement’s rejection of demands for disarmament while Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory.
It also exposes the central dispute surrounding Hezbollah’s military future: whether the organisation should surrender its weapons despite the continued Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon.
While political pressure in Beirut has intensified, Hezbollah’s reported preparations indicate that it remains focused on maintaining the ability to confront Israeli forces.
Washington Vows to Continue Financial Pressure
The United States, meanwhile, has made clear that it intends to continue restricting Hezbollah’s access to financial resources.
A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington would maintain efforts to choke off the movement’s funding through sanctions and other measures.
A spokesperson for the US Treasury Department also claimed that Iran’s financial resources were becoming increasingly depleted, along with its available mechanisms for transferring money.
Those assessments contrast with the accounts provided by Lebanese security officials, who described substantial Iranian funding reaching Hezbollah as it works to rebuild its military capabilities.
The reported financial transfers suggest that Tehran continues to provide support to the Lebanese movement despite American efforts to disrupt those channels.
Renewed Regional Tensions Raise the Stakes
Hezbollah’s military rebuilding comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions across the Middle East, particularly following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran in February.
The confrontation has heightened uncertainty over the possibility of renewed regional hostilities, with Hezbollah’s preparations taking place alongside wider concerns about further military escalation.
For Israel, the prospect of Hezbollah restoring its drone capabilities and military command networks raises the possibility of confronting a reorganised adversary despite the substantial damage inflicted during previous wars.
For Hezbollah, the continued occupation of Lebanese territory and the possibility of renewed Israeli attacks remain central to its stated justification for maintaining armed resistance.
Although Reuters’ sources described preparations for a possible resumption of fighting, they did not establish that Hezbollah had decided to initiate another war.
What their accounts do indicate is that, following months of military setbacks and mounting political pressure, Hezbollah is actively working to restore its capacity to fight should hostilities with Israel resume.
