Hizbollah and the Next War with Israel: Experience from Syria and Gaza

The article assesses Hizbollah’s current domestic and regional status, examining how the organization has adapted to the challenge of fighting with the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. After analyzing Hizbollah’s current position and strategy, it delves deeper into the question of the “potential next war” between the Lebanese Shiite organization and Israel, highlighting relevant lessons the organization might be drawing from Israel’s war against Hamas in the summer of 2014 as well as from its own current involvement in Syria. The war in Syria provides Hizbollah with the opportunity to enhance its military capabilities and hybrid warfare skills, which could lead to both improvement and increased reliance on more conventional standoff tactics in the next war with Israel. In addition, the lessons from the last Gaza war, including Israel’s political and psychological vulnerability to attacks on its critical infrastructure and targeted cross-border operations, can assist Hizbollah in sharpening its operational concept and strategy.