Since Oct. 9, almost four dozen Hezbollah members have been killed following the launch of an Israeli military campaign against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.
As part of its strategy to maintain pressure on Israel’s northern front, Hezbollah has continuously attacked Israeli targets along the Israel-Lebanon border, which has led to casualties within their ranks.
Hezbollah has positioned teams armed with rockets, mortars, and guided missiles to target IDF positions. While they have achieved some success in causing damage and casualties to the IDF, the placement of these teams near the border has increased the likelihood of losses due to constant overhead surveillance by Israeli military drones.
For example, between Oct. 22 and 23, Hezbollah acknowledged the deaths of eleven of its members. While the group did not provide detailed information on the nature of their deaths, they likely died while operating against Israel.
In turn, the IDF has capitalized on the potential impact of the increasing casualties by releasing footage of attacks on Hezbollah fighters engaged in operations.
At the present time, it seems that Hezbollah is content with deploying fighters on a high-risk operation without exceeding the threshold of initiating a full-blown conflict with Israel. Consequently, the Israelis are adopting a corresponding approach by only attacking Hezbollah members engaged in executing an attack or targeting positions that are not high value.
Moreover, based on Hezbollah’s statements, it seems the fighters who have been killed in battle do not hold high-ranking positions within the military hierarchy, implying that the group is not suffering a substantial blow from the current casualties.
Lastly, Hezbollah is not the only armed group suffering casualties in southern Lebanon. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Lebanese Resistance Brigades ( an operational auxiliary of Hezbollah) have published statements acknowledging the losses of fighters carrying out operations against Israel from southern Lebanon.
