The US decision to pause a shipment of 1,800 munitions of 2,000-lb. bombs and also 1,700 of 500-lb. bombs may be seen by Hezbollah as a sign that it can escalate it attacks against Israel. Hezbollah follows Israeli and foreign media closely. It often re-reports stories from Israeli media to confirm its own assumptions. Hezbollah killed two IDF soldiers on May 7 in a drone attack and killed another IDF soldier on May 8.
Hezbollah has also absorbed losses in the past several days because the Hezbollah-Israel clashes tend to be proportionate. Hezbollah said several people were killed on the road to Tyre on May 9 in a strike it blamed on Israel.
Hezbollah's drone capabilities
It appears Hezbollah is now increasingly using drones to attack Israel. Hezbollah is proud of its new drone capabilities. Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based, pro-Iranian news channel, reported on May 9: “It is noteworthy, in this context, that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah – introduced drone weapons in the battle of ‘Al-Aqsa Flood,’ targeting Israeli sites and gatherings.”
Hezbollah has used drones to target Iron Dome batteries in Israel, the report said. It may have learned this tactic from the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group that Hezbollah works with in Yemen. The Houthis used drones to target Saudi air defenses several years ago.
“The Islamic Resistance [Hezbollah] possesses an integrated system of military capabilities, especially with regard to the declared air force, which is represented by drones, as the party possesses reconnaissance, assault and attack drones,” Al Mayadeen reported. READ MORE
