Analysts differ on whether Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria has left it more or less capable of confronting Israel in a war that many on both sides see as a matter of when, not if.

More than a year of continuous military engagement has allowed a new generation of fighters to gain battlefield experience. And to fight in Syria, the group has recruited large numbers of fighters and established accelerated training programs, according to residents of communities where Hezbollah holds sway.

One 21-year-old man from south Lebanon who completed a 45-day training program with Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley said there were about 70 aspiring fighters in his group, some in their late teens. Previously, Hezbollah relied only on older men and put them through years of military training.

“The younger you are, the more excited you are to join the battles,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Lebanese fighters who had been trained in Iran led the group through grueling physical exercises and drills on light arms, the young man said. Only half of his group continued to the next stage, an eight-month program that included training with antitank missiles and other sophisticated weapons. The man left the training program, joining the Lebanese army instead.

Near his training camp, he said, was a camp for pro-government Syrian fighters — reflecting how the war has strengthened Hezbollah’s operational ties with its regional allies.

But the war has been costly, too, and shows no sign of ending.

The lampposts on the road leading to Hermel bear faded photos of Hezbollah “martyrs” killed in past wars with Israel. But in town, as in many Hezbollah communities, new banners commemorate fighters who fell in Syria as well as those killed in car bombings.