The IDF can achieve a "clear, substantial and significant victory in a short period of time" against Hezbollah should another war break between Israel and the Lebanese terror organization, the IDF's top command believes.

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A large-scale 10-day training exercise concluded this week in northern Israel, simulating an all-out war against Hezbollah. Tens of thousands of soldiers took part in the Northern Command's largest exercise in 20 years, drilling defensive and offensive capabilities, gathering and using intelligence, and maneuvering forces on several different fronts at the same time. At the same time, the General Staff drilled a variety of scenarios on multiple fronts.





Northern Command holds large-scale training exercise (Photos: EPA, IDF Spokesman, Yoav Zitun)

The IDF recognizes Hezbollah has improved its fighting capabilities since the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Over the last three years of its operations in the Syria civil war, Hezbollah has changed from a guerilla organization to a fighting army that uses artillery, relatively high-precision missiles, drones and more.

However, IDF officials claim Israel has opened an immeasurable gap in its capabilities compared to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah currently has a third of its number on Syrian soil. Since it entered the country in aid of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Shiite terror group has lost some 2,000 fighters.

Northern Command holds large-scale training exercise (Photo: IDF Spokesman)

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is working to build arms factories to manufacture high-precision missiles of all ranges.

But IDF officials say that while such missiles would constitute a serious strategic threat that must be thwarted in advance, they do not pose an existential threat to Israel.

Hezbollah is also enjoying extensive support from Iran, receiving some $800 million a year from the Islamic republic. Tehran is also sending hundreds of millions of dollars to militia forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and $60-70 million a year to the Gaza Strip.