Iran's and Lebanon's fronts: where do they agree and where do they differ militarily?

Fighting continues at a lighter pace in the Iran-related confrontation, described as relatively calm compared with the days past, while the parties await field results on the ability of American strikes to reduce Iran's missile capabilities.

“Fighting continues at a lighter pace in the Iran-related confrontation, described as relatively calm compared with the days past, while the parties await field results on the ability of American strikes to reduce Iran's missile capabilities”

Al-Jazeera Net

In contrast, the Iran and Lebanon fronts intersect in some patterns of fighting, even as they differ in the nature of operations and military tactics on the ground.

Al-Jazeera Net

Military expert Colonel Hassan Joni says that what is described as relative calm in Iran does not mean a stoppage of operations, but rather reflects continued targeting, though at a lighter pace and pattern than usual.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Joni emphasizes that this phase cannot be used to draw clear indicators of a change in the operational stance of any of the parties.

Al-Jazeera Net

Likewise, the theatre of operations continues to change daily, making it premature to infer strategic or even tactical shifts, noting that understanding the course of the confrontation requires waiting for what field developments will yield in the coming days.

According to the military expert, one of the key questions is the extent to which American forces can actually destroy Iran's missile capability and prevent the threat posed by this arsenal.

He believes that the answer to this question will determine how credible the statements repeatedly made by U.S. President Donald Trump about eliminating Iran's military capabilities are.

The town of Khiam in southern Lebanon features prominently in this context as a hub of Israeli military effort in recent days, after it witnessed intense clashes, amid Israeli attempts to seize it in preparation for later expanding operations from there.

“Fighting continues at a lighter pace in the Iran-related confrontation, described as relatively calm compared with the days past, while the parties await field results on the ability of American strikes to reduce Iran's missile capabilities”

Al-Jazeera Net

Conversely, Joni notes that a Hezbollah official's statement about carrying out a 'maneuver in Khiam' reflects a change in the group’s tactics, as it no longer relies on a fixed defensive posture of positions as occurred in the 2006 war, an experience that cost it heavy losses at the time.

A military source in Hezbollah had told Al Jazeera that the Israeli operation in Khiam is paving the way for a ground incursion toward the Litani River, noting that the town of Khiam is witnessing back-and-forth operations; the resistance is conducting a military maneuver there.

According to this source, 'the shelling of settlements and border bases targets the forces preparing to cross into Lebanon,' noting that Israel uses the occupied Golan and the settlements along the Finger of the Galilee as a logistical depth for the infiltrating forces.

Joni confirms that Hezbollah's attacks in northern Israel target two kinds of targets: - The settlements whose residents had been warned in advance in an attempt to impose a displacement reality with a depth of about 5 kilometers.

- The Israeli military units that are massing or moving toward the interior of Lebanon.

Al-Jazeera Net

He believes these attacks have military, political, and psychological effects at once, as they affect the residents of northern Israel and, in turn, reflect on the Israeli government, and they reveal the continuing effectiveness of Hezbollah's missile arsenal despite the Israeli narrative that has repeatedly claimed to neutralize this threat since the 2006 war.