Hezbollah commander describes fighting Israel in Lebanon : NPR

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Meeting in person was deemed too risky.

Israel has been targeting him and his associates, using airstrikes and drones that often result in civilian casualties.

In a conversation lasting 40 minutes on Thursday evening, a Hezbollah field commander shared with NPR the injuries he sustained during Israel’s widespread attack on Beirut the previous day, which, according to Lebanese officials, claimed over 350 lives. An Israeli missile detonated near a building in the southern suburbs of the capital where he was taking shelter. He sustained injuries to his arms and legs from flying glass and debris, and two people beside him were killed, he recounted.

The following day, he had recovered enough to stand.

“An enemy occupies my land,” he stated. “Where else should I be?”

He provided only his pseudonym, Jihad, fearing Israeli retaliation. At 62 years old, he has been part of Hezbollah’s military since 2001. His rank is equivalent to a two-star general, though he refrained from specifying his job title to avoid being identified. He splits his time between Hezbollah’s offices in Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, where he leads troops against Israel.

“My expertise is in things that fly,” he quipped, referring to the rockets Hezbollah has been launching into northern Israel by the thousands.

Following the U.S. and Israeli strike on Iran on February 28, Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants responded on March 2 by launching rockets from Lebanon. They paused their attacks briefly upon hearing of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, which they assumed extended to Lebanon. However, after Israel denied this and launched its largest assault on Lebanon since the renewed conflict began, Hezbollah resumed firing rockets.

“We’re up against an enemy with advanced weaponry and technology, but we stand firm,” Jihad remarked. “The key is to let them get close. It tests your nerve and resolve.”

“That’s where the real battle occurs,” he added.

NPR sought insights from Jihad into Hezbollah’s secretive Shia Muslim militia, its ongoing capabilities, revamped command structure, and new tactics to evade Israeli surveillance. He acknowledged “mistakes” made in 2024 that led to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and explained how the organization has since rearmed.

The U.S., Israel, and numerous other countries classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Despite this, the group maintains military and political arms, with 14 lawmakers in Lebanon’s parliament.

Hezbollah has expressed opposition to the planned talks between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington on Tuesday, the first official negotiations between the two nations since 1983.

Passing notes on the battlefield

NPR’s conversation with Jihad was via a phone not belonging to him.

Hezbollah has largely abandoned cell phones and modern technology since a September 2024 Israeli operation caused Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies to explode almost simultaneously, killing many. Israeli intelligence has detailed their long-term strategy of embedding explosives in device batteries sold to Hezbollah by a fake European company.

Since then, Jihad noted, they have ceased importing electronics. “We trust nothing,” he said. He relies on an old-fashioned walkie-talkie, mentioning the use of outdated Motorola devices and radio transmitters.

Orders on the battlefield are sometimes delivered through handwritten notes carried by couriers on motorbikes, he explained.

Hezbollah’s new organizational structure

Since the pager incident and Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah has returned to basics, Jihad explained. Naim Qassem, another founding member, has taken over leadership.

Qassem has “overhauled the approach,” Jihad said, implementing a decentralized command structure first developed by Imad Mughniyeh, a Hezbollah leader killed in a 2008 car bombing in Syria. He divided fighters into semi-independent units that do not communicate for security reasons.

“One unit might focus on shooting, another on surveillance. Some even handle logistics like preparing meals,” he explained. “Each unit operates independently, unaware of the larger strategy.”

Jihad believes that under Qassem, Hezbollah has strengthened ties with Iran and become more compartmentalized. He likened the command structure to a familiar concept for NPR.

“In journalism, one person writes, another edits. Your role reflects your education and experience,” he said. “It’s similar here. We offer courses and qualifications based on your career path.”

Rearming after 2024

This Israeli offensive has reignited a protracted conflict that was supposed to pause with a November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, where Lebanon’s Army pledged to disarm Hezbollah in the south. The United Nations reports thousands of Israeli ceasefire violations occurred between late 2024 and early this year, resulting in over 100 civilian deaths.

While Hezbollah refrained from firing during that time, Jihad asserted they never disarmed. They directed Lebanese forces to obsolete or damaged stockpiles they no longer needed, allowing them to be confiscated. However, Hezbollah’s real arsenal remained largely intact, he claimed.

“They took nothing significant! We handed them empty boxes or outdated items to destroy,” he elaborated.

Hezbollah’s weapons weren’t as depleted by the 2024 conflict as assumed, and they have since rearmed with both imported and locally produced weapons, Jihad stated.

“Nowadays, you can learn to manufacture anything online,” Jihad remarked.

He declined to specify where weapons assembly occurs. However, Hezbollah is known to utilize a network of tunnels and caverns. Although some entrances were destroyed by Israel in 2024, experts believe many remain operational.

Traditionally, Hezbollah’s arms came from Iran, through Syria. But after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December 2024, Qassem lamented the disruption of their supply route.

Jihad argued that this was not the case.

“Virtually anything can be smuggled through Syria — Kornets, Konkurs,” he said, referring to Russian-made anti-tank weapons.

An abrupt conclusion

After 40 minutes, Jihad concluded the call. He sounded anxious. NPR could hear Israeli drones and low-flying warplanes in the background.

“We need to relocate,” he said.

With that, he ended the call.