**Israel's Next War With Hezbollah Will Be Worse Than the Last

NOVEMBER 23, 2016

Mourners pray over the casket of a Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli airstrike in January 2015.

When the Syrian government launched an all-out offensive against the rebellion growing within its borders in April 2013, it did so with considerable help from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Nearly four years later, Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian civil war has only deepened. Though the group has not escaped the vicious conflict unscathed, it has emerged a more capable and deadly force — a fact that has not gone unnoticed by its longtime enemy to the south, Israel.

Analysis

Hezbollah has proved itself a crucial ally to Syrian President Bashar al Assad. With the group's support, loyalist troops were able to quickly turn the tide of battle against the country's rebel groups in mid-2013 in a series of victories around Qusair. The sweeping operation allowed government troops to secure the key corridor linking the Syrian capital to the coast. Since then, Hezbollah has affirmed its value on the battlefield time and again. Now, the group's elite Radwan regiment is immersed in the crucial fight for Aleppo alongside government troops, while many other Hezbollah units are deployed across the country. Meanwhile, Hezbollah maintains several large bases and outposts near Qusair, where it made its first major entrance into the civil war.

Bruised but Battle-Hardened

Of course, years of brutal combat have taken a heavy toll on Hezbollah. A number of the group's top commanders have been killed in action, as has a sizable share of elite veterans who fought in the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. To meet its extensive commitments amid such high casualty rates, Hezbollah has had to broaden its recruiting criteria. Not only has the group greatly expanded its Lebanese membership, but it has also founded its own Syrian affiliate groups, including the National Ideological Resistance and Al-Ridha Forces. Nevertheless, Hezbollah has taken care to continue cultivating elite units, leading to wide disparities in skill among the group's array of forces.

Recruits are not Hezbollah's only new additions. Grateful for the group's backing, the Syrian government has ratcheted up its weapons donations to the Lebanese militants. Damascus, along with Tehran, has long provided ample support to Hezbollah, turning it into the best-equipped non-state fighting force in the world. A decade ago, the militants possessed thousands of rockets, hundreds of anti-tank guided missiles and a handful of anti-ship missiles. Since then, the group has expanded its inventory, increasing its rocket stores to between 70,000 and 90,000, including thousan