Iran Directs Hezbollah to Raise Military Alertness for Regional Conflict

Hezbollah has received instructions from Iran to significantly increase its military readiness in anticipation of an imminent regional conflict, according to Lebanese security and military sources cited by the Emirati website "Aram News." Tehran believes a wider confrontation is approaching and has directed the Lebanon-based organization to prepare.

In response, Hezbollah is reportedly undertaking preparatory actions, including discreetly relocating personnel to new operational sites and issuing secret directives for operatives. These measures differ from previous preparations and aim to establish a new combat system that grants field units greater autonomy, thereby reducing the impact of potential Israeli strikes on central leadership. The organization is also reportedly summoning all full-time, salaried operatives.

These directives are part of ongoing coordination between Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its regional allies, preparing for potential escalation involving Israel and the United States. The sources emphasized that Hezbollah views these instructions as preparation for a possible scenario, not a final decision to go to war. The preparations involve a restructuring of military operations rather than a traditional increase in troop readiness.

A significant shift involves adopting Iran's "mosaic defense" doctrine, which distributes military responsibility among various units and lessens reliance on a central command structure. This change is attributed to internal assessments indicating that concentrating authority in a few command levels made Hezbollah's military structure vulnerable to disruptions from strikes on its leaders, especially following Israeli operations. Iran's role extends beyond financial and arms support to overseeing this renewed military training and strategic coordination for regional escalation.

This strategic adjustment aims to ensure that Iran's allies can continue operating even if Iranian command centers are targeted, preventing the collapse of the regional response network. The current preparations are linked to discussions among Hezbollah-affiliated circles about a future war response that is expected to differ from past conflicts. However, this does not necessarily imply greater military capabilities but rather a change in how existing capabilities are utilized, relying on regional coordination to disrupt Israeli operations.

The heightened alert comes as Israel has intensified its warnings to Hezbollah. Defense Minister Israel Katz recently cautioned that if Hezbollah joins Iran in an attack on Israel, it would suffer severe consequences, with southern Lebanon losing territory to become part of Israel's permanent security zone. Lebanese sources assess that Hezbollah is preparing for a conflict that may be imposed upon it due to Israeli actions or developments in the campaign against Iran, facing the dilemma of demonstrating deterrence while avoiding dragging Lebanon into a new war.