What is Hezbollah learning from Hamas?
Any action taken by Hamas against Israel is likely being carefully studied by Hezbollah for future conflict purposes.
Never before has a flare-up in Gaza failed to grab the attention of the Arab world like the current round. Led by Egypt, the majority of the Arab League’s members have been unwilling to come to Hamas’ rescue, while much of the Arab street remains preoccupied with the almost Quranic battle between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, the endless massacres in Syria and Libya’s disintegration.
Despite keeping a low profile throughout the Gaza conflict, Hezbollah is one regional player that cannot afford to ignore the fighting. After eight years of quiet that preceded the Second Lebanon War, the Shiite Islamist group is studying Israel’s strategy on all fronts as it prepares for its own future round with the Israeli military.
Maj. Stephane Cohen, a former officer in the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Liaison’s Lebanon division and defense analyst at The Israel Project, told Al-Monitor, “Hezbollah is a learning organization. They are focusing on the Israeli response, not only the military response but also the political behavior of the Israeli government and how other regional players respond to the crisis.”
First and foremost, Hezbollah likely is studying Hamas’ military failures. Though relations between the two groups cooled for a two-year period because of differences over the Syrian conflict, Hamas is employing the strategy, tactics and training that it received by Hezbollah and Iranian agents. The same can be said for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which remained in Tehran’s good graces throughout the Arab Spring.
