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War in the Middle East: Has Hezbollah been weakened by recent attacks?
War in the Middle East: Has Hezbollah been weakened by recent attacks?
(France 2)
If the pro-Iranian militia does not enter into an all-out war, it remains a serious threat to Israel, even if the attacks of recent days have weakened it.
Hezbollah members have been victims of their own devices. In the last 48 hours, two waves of explosions have killed 37 people and injured more than 3,000. This is the biggest security breach the Lebanese militia has ever suffered, according to its leaders.
Many Hezbollah cadres, who used pagers to communicate, were targeted. Hundreds were wounded in the leg or head or had their hands torn off. A planeload of wounded people was being transported to be treated in Iran, a major supporter of Hezbollah. But the Islamist movement has between 20,000 and 50,000 members.
In addition to the human losses, the organization finds itself deprived of a communication channel that it believed to be secure. It has opened an internal investigation. Hezbollah also has 150,000 rockets and missiles, as well as drones, thanks to the support of Iran. In recent years, Hezbollah fighters have been actively present in Syria alongside Bashar Al-Assad’s troops, which has considerably strengthened their experience and military level.
“Lebanon, Hezbollah shaken by a pager attack”, Jean-Philippe Rémy and Hélène Sallon, Le Monde, September 18, 2024
“Hezbollah: 10 points on the organization that can turn the tide of the Sukkot war”, Aurélie Daher, Le Grand Continent, October 16, 2023
Mohanad Hajj Ali, Associate Director of Research at the Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut
Non-exhaustive list