Since Hamas launched its ruthless attacks on Israeli towns and cities on October 7, Israel's Defence Forces have conducted a non-stop bombardment of the Gaza Strip designed to grind down the terrorist cells ahead of a planned ground assault.
But while tens of thousands of Israeli troops, battalions of tanks and heavy artillery begin to mass along the border with Gaza, many fear that the real threat is found 125 miles to the north.
Hezbollah, or the 'Party of God' in Arabic, is a Shiite Islamist political and military organisation based in Lebanon that was founded in the 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War with the support of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Its dual political and military setup echoes that of Hamas, but while both groups are backed by Iran's Islamic Republic, Hezbollah has evolved into a far graver military threat.
The group has been exchanging fire with Israel across the border intermittently since Hamas' October 7 attacks - the latest escalation since Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in 2006.
So far the skirmishes have been just that, with Hezbollah reluctant to commit any meaningful numbers of troops and rockets to fight Israel.
But the group has declared it is ready to help when the time comes in the war between Israel and Hamas - and there are fears that a large-scale Israeli ground invasion would trigger an all out assault on Israel by Hezbollah, which would force the IDF to split their resources and fight a battle on two fronts at opposite ends of the country.
With this in mind, MailOnline compares the military capabilities of Israel's two closest foes, Hezbollah and Hamas.
HEZBOLLAH
Hezbollah has in recent years emerged as a potent force in the Middle East, boasting a multifaceted arsenal and diverse military capabilities that far exceed those of Hamas.
The Palestinian outfit has tens of thousands of soldiers and extensive rocket stockpiles but no air defence capabilities and almost no heavy armour. By contrast, Hezbollah's military wing is extremely well-equipped.
In addition to the small arms, machine guns and rocket stockpiles used by Hamas, Hezbollah boasts a range of anti-tank and anti-air systems, a fleet of thousands of drones, and dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles - not to mention many more fighters.
Like Hamas, Hezbollah also has an extensive tunnel network along the Lebanese-Israeli border which serves as a strategic asset for clandestine movement, storage, and surprise attacks.
In 2021, the group claimed to have 100,000 active fighters - though Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) says the number is half that.
INSS says the group's arsenal counts 150,000 to 200,000 rockets and missiles, including 'hundreds' of precision rockets.
The overwhelming majority of Hezbollah's military hardware is Soviet or Iranian made, and the group has either purchased or received donations of weapons and munitions from their Iranian backers, or from the government of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
Both Iran and Syria have proved to be key sources of financial and material support, viewing Hezbollah as a strategic ally and an instrument of influence in the region.
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