Hezbollah has recently removed the head of its anti-aircraft units from his position, according to Western intelligence agencies, apparently as part of the conclusions drawn by the Lebanese militant organization from the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Almost a year ago, Haaretz reported that Hezbollah had removed one of its senior military commanders from his post. The commander was head of the regional defense of the Beqaa Valley, considered Hezbollah's heartland and home to most of Lebanon's Shi'ite population. Placed under the authority of Hezbollah's "home front logistical command," the region was particularly vulnerable as it is where many of the organization's warehouses and bases were located. During the war, elite Israel Defense Forces troops infiltrated the area repeatedly, most notably in two raids carried out on the city of Baalbek.
Apart from downing one helicopter, IAF aircraft were largely unharmed by Hezbollah during the war, prompting the organization to probe its air-defense systems. Senior IDF officials told Haaretz that Hezbollah is still in the process of adjusting to its new positions at the end of the war, much further north than they were at its beginning. In addition, it is studying how to deal with the United Nations observers deployed in the south of the country as part of the cease-fire agreement.