Hezbollah Closely Watches Israel's Incursion into Gaza

As Israel Defense Forces stage what appears to be a limited and measured incursion into Gaza, Stratfor sources have indicated that Hezbollah's leadership is keenly watching and studying Hamas' military performance against Israel.

Israel has made concerted efforts to learn from the 2006 conflict in Lebanon. And though defensive measures such as the Iron Dome defense system seem to have proved effective against rocket attacks from militants in Gaza, it is unlikely they will prove similarly useful against Hezbollah's more substantial and sophisticated arsenal of rockets and missiles. However, if there were another conflict in Lebanon, Hezbollah would face its own difficulties, such as compensating for the loss of experienced fighters in other conflicts in the region and trying to thwart Israel's extensive intelligence-gathering capabilities. Both sides' current capabilities mean that any future Israel-Hezbollah conflict would be decided largely on the ground.