Hezbollah reportedly readying for new regional war, with funds from Iran

Hezbollah has spent three months preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel, after receiving an infusion of cash from Iran, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on its activities.

Despite sustaining severe blows, the terror group remains committed to fighting Israel and has used a lull in hostilities since June to rearm, with a focus on procuring explosives and producing drones that can be flown into Israeli positions, two Lebanese security sources tell Reuters.

One of the security sources and another source close to Hezbollah say the group had received tens of millions of dollars from Iran to help boost its military capabilities. That is in addition to around $200 million that the group received from Tehran to aid displaced families in its Shi’ite heartlands.

The group has been restoring command-and-control structures that broke down in key battles, according to one of those sources and three other security officials familiar with the group’s operations.

In response to questions from Reuters, Hezbollah’s media office says Israel’s occupation of Lebanese land made any resistance to it a legitimate right. It rejects the suggestion that its command-and-control systems had broken down.

The sources tell Reuters the terror group had not yet managed to fully prepare its stockpiles or fighting force.

Hezbollah is still restocking, acknowledging this month that explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belonged to it and were intended for use against Israel. A ⁠Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source tell Reuters they were specifically ​for its explosive drones.

The group will also need to repair command-and-control capabilities after losses on key fronts, including the flashpoint town of Bint Jbeil and the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, according to one of the Lebanese sources and three security officials.

They says Hezbollah’s tactic of operating in small units and rationing the use of anti-tank rockets left some units isolated on those fronts, struggling to confront Israel’s remotely operated systems including weaponized drones and armed remote-controlled vehicles.

Hezbollah has not explicitly said whether it would take part in the eruption of fresh hostilities, but its media office says it is wary of giving Israeli leaders any justification to escalate in Lebanon, particularly as the group was concerned about its constituents being displaced once more.