Hezbollah returns to guerrilla roots — no comms devices, 4 deputies per commander, fighting near Khiyam

Four Lebanese sources familiar with Hezbollah military activities told Reuters that the group is applying lessons from its 2024 war with Israel and adapting its tactics for what it expects to be a prolonged conflict. Hezbollah is operating in small units and strictly avoiding the use of communication devices — no phones, no pagers — after Israel's 2024 operation booby-trapped hundreds of pagers and penetrated Hezbollah's private phone network. Fighters are rationing the use of key anti-tank rockets as they engage Israeli ground forces. A critical continuity measure: four deputies have been appointed for every Hezbollah commander, ensuring the organisation can sustain operations even as Israel eliminates senior figures. Ground fighting is concentrated near the town of Khiyam, near the intersection of Lebanon's border with Israel and Syria — an area Hezbollah believes any Israeli land invasion would begin. Hezbollah's calculations are based on the assumption that Iran's clerical leadership will survive the war, leading to a regional ceasefire that includes Hezbollah. An Israeli security source said there is 'no sign that Hezbollah is looking to de-escalate — quite the opposite. While Israel has eliminated a few of Hezbollah's very senior commanders, it seems that the group is managing to stabilize its ranks and make and execute decisions.' The guerrilla adaptation — away from the command-and-control model exploited in 2024 — makes Hezbollah harder to track and harder to decapitate.