Hezbollah Improving Warfare by Fighting in Syria

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Hezbollah is learning lessons of warfare it will eventually turn against Israel, an unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying in Israeli press reports on Monday.

The Lebanese-based Iranian proxy has been fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against opposition forces for the last few years.

Now, an Israeli official says Hezbollah could use that experience in the next round of fighting against Israel, not only by launching massive rocket barrages against the Jewish state but also with a ground invasion.

Hezbollah's confidence is growing, along with its combat experience in Syria," the official was quoted as saying. "The battlegrounds of Syria have enabled Hezbollah to upgrade it capabilities. Hezbollah plans to send many combatants into Israeli territory near the border and seize it."

The officer said Hezbollah is thinking "offensively" and "gaining experience" in "initiating assaults in built-up areas and attacking cities."

Hezbollah would use the ground offensive as a means of boasting victory, he said. But according to the officer, the IDF would retake the territory very quickly.