Hezbollah has taken more than one diplomatic hit for the critical support that it has provided to the Bashar al-Assad regime, which has allowed Syrian forces to erode two years of rebel gains.

Militarily, however, the Syrian war has disciplined the group and hardened its fighters. The result – for a group whose members are religiously committed to following the dictates of Iran’s Supreme Leader – are unlikely to enhance regional stability:

“Hezbollah’s involvement in the war in Syria has not disrupted its preparedness for a war with Israel – the opposite is true,” the chief artillery officer of the IDF’s Northern Command said Wednesday. Speaking to Ynet, Colonel Yaron Formosa said Hezbollah gunmen have become proficient in the use of advanced weapons due to the fighting in Syria. “They are continuing to prepare for a war against us, and an isolated incident on the border can lead to deterioration. We are prepared to go to war even tomorrow morning,” said the officer.

Earlier this week, four Israeli troops were injured in an explosion along the border. Analysts increasingly fear that, as with the Israeli-Syrian border, spillover from the Syrian conflict may destabilize Israel’s border with Lebanon.

[Photo: Matanya / Wiki Commons]