Hezbollah supporters and sympathizers hold up portraits of Fouad Chokor and Ismail Haniyeh during a broadcast of Hassan Nasrallah's speech on Aug. 6, 2024, in Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/OLJ)
Since January 2024, when Israel targeted and killed Hezbollah commander Wissam Tawil in South Lebanon, the conflict has entered a new phase centered around the elimination of the party’s senior military officials. This escalation has been marked by the recent assassination of Fouad Shukur, a high-ranking Hezbollah figure, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, occurring just hours before that of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, in Tehran.This ongoing campaign of targeted killings allows Israel to deal severe blows to Hezbollah with minimal cost.“Assassinations have become a substitute for using tanks and aircraft, where Israel has demonstrated its superiority,” General Khaled Hamadeh, a retired officer, told L’Orient-Le Jour. “The idea is to avoid ground combat and not suffer human losses.”Seasoned in guerrilla warfare and has...
Since January 2024, when Israel targeted and killed Hezbollah commander Wissam Tawil in South Lebanon, the conflict has entered a new phase centered around the elimination of the party’s senior military officials. This escalation has been marked by the recent assassination of Fouad Shukur, a high-ranking Hezbollah figure, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, occurring just hours before that of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, in Tehran.This ongoing campaign of targeted killings allows Israel to deal severe blows to Hezbollah with minimal cost.“Assassinations have become a substitute for using tanks and aircraft, where Israel has demonstrated its superiority,” General Khaled Hamadeh, a retired officer, told L’Orient-Le Jour. “The idea is to avoid ground combat and not suffer human losses.”Seasoned in guerrilla warfare...
