Hezbollah’s decision to stay out of the Iran-Israel war was the result of internal and external pressures as the Lebanese militant group faces growing vulnerabilities, a senior US official has told The National.
After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire late Monday between Israel and Iran. Throughout the fighting, Hezbollah – once considered Iran’s most powerful proxy – offered only verbal support to its patron, without intervening militarily.
Hezbollah was established in the 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war, in the aftermath of Israel’s 1982 invasion. Backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it emerged as a resistance force against Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon. Originally meant to deter Israeli incursions, Hezbollah evolved into a powerful military and political player in Lebanon, and is often described as a “state within a state”.
“The resistance force – I'll call them that – is now under pressure to preserve themselves. They've taken a knee,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There’s nothing that would stop the country to the south [Israel] from carrying out much greater aggression if they [Hezbollah] were to get involved at this point,” he added.
The US official said that Tehran had asked the group not to enter the war to retain “what is left of their strength”.
Hezbollah was weakened severely during a year-long war with Israel that ended in November. Israel’s military campaign destroyed much of Hezbollah’s infrastructure, eliminated the group’s leader and senior commanders, and infiltrated its security network.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon, and all non-state militant groups must be disarmed across the country.
Lebanon remains under international pressure to reassert full state sovereignty. President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly said the decision to centralise arms under state authority has been taken, but insists this can be achieved only through dialogue rather than force.
“Israel wants the Lebanese government to be more aggressive towards Hezbollah,” said the official. “This places the group in a tough position. Many fighters had already moved to Iraq. Lebanese nationalism needs to be front and centre. Joseph Aoun has been clear on this."
Despite the truce, Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon almost daily and maintains control over five military posts along the southern border. It has also struck Beirut four times since the ceasefire agreement was sealed.
Shortly after the Iran-Israel war erupted, Lebanese officials urged Hezbollah not to join forces with Tehran, security sources told The National. The group agreed.
“The group has given reassurances that it has no intention of doing so,” said one of sources. “We know those important missiles can be launched only on orders from Iran."
Hezbollah is still believed to possess medium and long-range missiles, and it continues to command a broad Shiite support base.
A political source in Beirut close to Hezbollah told The National: "Tehran neither needs nor has requested any military support from Hezbollah or other resistance factions. It inflicted pain on Israel itself without any assistance."
The group had recently drawn Lebanon into war. After the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah opened a second front by firing rockets at Israeli positions along the northern border the following day. What began as limited cross-border attacks quickly escalated into a near-daily exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.
Last September, this developed into a full-scale war. The conflict left Lebanon devastated, with thousands killed, more than a million displaced and critical infrastructure across the south and Beirut's southern suburbs in ruins.
The Lebanese Armed Forces is not expected to confront Hezbollah directly but the government is seeking to align Hezbollah’s actions with national interests, said the US official. “We believe that Hezbollah is, more than ever, co-operating but not at the pace Israel desires.”
