Hezbollah reasserts “eye-for-an-eye” deterrence equation in its confrontation with “Israel”
BEIRUT, April 24 (YPA) –The tempo of retaliatory operations to Israeli ceasefire violations indicates that the Lebanese resistance (Hezbollah) has effectively reasserted an “eye-for-an-eye” deterrence formula in the confrontation — a doctrine it first established in the 1990s, based on firm retaliation to any Israeli attack.
In a direct retaliation to Israeli violations, Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it had carried out two operations targeting gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the town of Taybeh.
These operations follow a series of reported Israeli breaches, most notably an attack on the town of Tayri, in which reporter Amal Khalil was killed, and her colleague, Zeinab Faraj, was wounded.
As part of a wide expansion of its retaliation to the “Israeli” enemy’s violation of the ceasefire and its encroachment upon Lebanese airspace, the Islamic Resistance fighters shot down an “Israeli” enemy army reconnaissance drone, in the town of Majdal Zoun.
This calibrated escalation underscores what the group presents as a consistent deterrence strategy aimed at maintaining a field balance through immediate and proportionate retaliation, while reasserting rules of engagement and seeking to curb further Israeli military attacks.
A translation of Qassem’s Speech
These recent operations by the Hezbollah can be seen as a direct translation of remarks made by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on April 18, when he stressed that a ceasefire cannot be one-sided, and that the resistance would remain in the field with “fingers on the trigger” to respond to any “Israeli violation” of the agreement.
The operations appear to mirror this stance, coming as immediate responses to Israeli attacks and reinforcing Qassem’s assertion that the phase of restraint in the face of violations has ended, and that any aggression will be met with a response proportional to its scale and nature.
They also align with his call for a comprehensive and permanent halt to hostilities across land, air, and sea, alongside Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory, underscoring what he framed as a broader effort to establish a sustained deterrence equation and reshape the rules of engagement.
A Broader Strategy
Taken together, Hezbollah’s political and field positions indicate that the rules of engagement are no longer limited to responding to Israeli violations alone. Instead, they extend to challenging attempts to impose a new reality in southern Lebanon — whether through expanding Israeli control or entrenching the so-called “yellow line” as a de facto border.
This position was echoed by MP Hassan Fadlallah, who said that Hezbollah is committed to dismantling the so-called “Yellow Line” in South Lebanon and overturning the repercussions of the war.
Thus, the resistance’s operations are not merely reactions to specific attacks, but rather part of a broader strategy aimed at preventing the consolidation of new realities on the ground, except within a framework consistent with its own deterrence approach.
@E.Y.M