Israeli security meeting weighs Hezbollah tactics as cross-border tensions escalate: The details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israeli security officials are debating whether the current confrontation with Hezbollah amounts to guerrilla warfare or a broader struggle for survival, according to discussions reported during a recent security meeting reviewing developments along the Lebanon border.

The meeting came amid escalating cross-border clashes and rising tensions on both sides, with reports that at least one million residents in northern Israel have returned to shelters.

Israeli military and intelligence officials say Hezbollah has shifted its operational pattern toward what they describe as a war of attrition, using small, mobile cells operating across villages in southern Lebanon and relying on opportunistic strikes rather than organized large-scale operations.

Other Israeli officials described Hezbollah’s activity as guerrilla warfare, saying it presents a sustained challenge to the Israeli military.

According to Israel’s Northern Command, Hezbollah has also adjusted its strike methods, moving away from large rocket barrages toward the use of explosive drones and limited, low-intensity rocket fire in isolated attacks. These, officials said, have targeted areas stretching from western Galilee to the Finger of the Galilee and the Golan Heights.

Israeli officials said the objective of this approach is to preserve Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles and operational capabilities while maintaining a prolonged pattern of pressure on Israel’s home front.

In parallel, the Northern Command has sought to counter domestic pressure from residents calling for intensified military operations, by publishing assessments claiming that approximately 60% of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon has been destroyed.

An Israeli military officer said operations in Lebanon are divided into two main zones.

The first extends to what Israel calls the “Yellow Line,” where forces focus on destroying Hezbollah infrastructure and clearing militants from the area, according to Israeli terminology.

The second zone lies north of that line, where targeted operations and assassinations are carried out, the officer added.