Hezbollah’s military capabilities never stopped increasing since the Second Lebanon War in summer 2006, when they were already strong enough to hold off the Israeli forces. The militia has accumulated tactical experience in Syria, augmenting its ballistic capacities (precision, range and number of assets), while securing its positions in southern Lebanon. Despite this high threat level, Israeli officials act as if they want to avoid any risk of confrontation. This non-action option is based on a subtle combination of deterrence and containment. For this, the Israelis have a desperate need to know their fiercest enemy although they hardly have any interaction with him. In this regard, they developed an intelligence approach that has become central in their strategy towards Hezbollah. This priority has required huge human and material investments over the past decade. Along came evolutions in military doctrine and technological innovations. In addition, intelligence has outperformed because of Israeli offensive posture, given the high level of tension across the region.

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