Israeli bombs have blown up its munitions stores and killed thousands of its fighters, including many seasoned commanders.

And yet, Hezbollah keeps fighting.

Since Israel invaded southern Lebanon nearly three weeks ago, its forces have confronted a flexible enemy that uses the environment to launch complex and sometimes deadly operations.

Frequent barrages of Hezbollah rockets scream over the border, and a suicide drone attack on an Israeli military base this week killed four soldiers. On Wednesday, Hezbollah killed five more soldiers in a clash in southern Lebanon, the latest indication that Israel’s swift escalation against the Lebanese militia has left it far from incapacitated.

“Israel has delivered a big blow to the political and military leadership, but it remains to be seen how that affects internal communications and the chain of command,” said Nicholas Blanford, a Hezbollah expert at The Atlantic Council, an international affairs organisation.

Helping the group stay in the fight, he said, were nearly two decades of preparation for its next big war with Israel and a flexible structure that allows local commanders to execute their own plans.

“The Hezbollah guys on the ground, their tactical control is still sound and they have a lot of autonomy,” Blanford said. “They know what the basic mission is: to hit the Israeli soldiers coming across the line.”

In a statement on Friday, Hezbollah announced the start of “a new escalatory phase” in its fight with Israel.

Hezbollah’s persistence since the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, last month, could also have implications in Israel’s fight against Hamas. This week, Israel killed the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, after he managed to hide in Gaza for a year. But given Hezbollah’s endurance on the battlefield, the death of Sinwar may not weaken Hamas.

The current conflict in Lebanon began last October, when Hezbollah began firing on Israeli positions in support of Hamas, its Palestinian ally, after that group launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel that started the Gaza war.

New York Times News Service