Key Takeaways:
- International media have frequently referred to Israel’s strategy in Lebanon as the “Gaza model” without explaining the similarities in Hezbollah and Hamas’ strategy.
- Both terrorist organizations systematically embed military infrastructure within civilian environments, including tunnels, homes, and medical facilities, shaping how the IDF must respond.
- By omitting this context, major media outlets present a distorted narrative that frames Israel’s actions without acknowledging the conditions that precede them.
The tactics being used in Lebanon are the same as those employed in Gaza.
Yet The New York Times, CNN, and The Guardian won’t explain why.
All three outlets claim Israel is applying a “Gaza model” in Lebanon, but none examine the underlying reason: the nature of the enemy.
Hezbollah, like Hamas, embeds itself within civilian infrastructure, exploiting hospitals, ambulances, homes, and other protected sites to launch attacks on Israel. This is not incidental. It is central to their strategy. And it is routinely omitted from media coverage.
The phrase “Gaza playbook” may be accurate, but not in the way it’s being framed. The similarity lies not in Israeli tactics, but in the identical operational models of the terrorist organizations Israel is confronting.
Tunnel Infrastructure
As the IDF continues to destroy terrorist tunnels in Gaza, it is encountering the same threat in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s tunnel network is still being uncovered and is widely believed to be more sophisticated than Hamas’.
Just last week, the IDF uncovered two fully equipped Hezbollah tunnels stretching approximately two kilometers near Israel’s northern border.
❗️ EXPOSED: Underground tunnel network built by Hezbollah in the Qantara area of southern Lebanon.
IDF troops located 2 underground Hezbollah tunnels, with a total length of ~2 kilometers, situated ~10 kilometers from Israel’s northern communities.
Inside the tunnels, soldiers… pic.twitter.com/Kq8NZlPzO7
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 28, 2026
But tunnels are only part of the story.
Like Hamas, Hezbollah embeds its military infrastructure inside civilian spaces. In Gaza, tunnel shafts have been found in homes. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has turned children’s bedrooms into weapons depots.
🔎 LOCATED: Weapons storage facility with numerous weapons was located inside a children’s room in the area of Aadshit al-Qusayr.
Among the weapons located: explosives, ‘Kalashnikov’ rifles, grenades, RPGs, machine guns, munitions, and combat equipment. pic.twitter.com/vBtZQo76NJ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 27, 2026
This threat is not new. For years, Israel’s security establishment has warned of Hezbollah’s plans to infiltrate northern Israel via underground networks long before October 7, 2023.
Hezbollah has repeatedly attempted cross-border attacks, and as early as 2011, Lebanese media were reporting on plans to invade the Galilee.
After Hamas’ October 2023 massacre, Hezbollah had thousands of terrorists positioned for a similar assault. Captured members of its elite Radwan unit have confirmed plans to seize parts of northern Israel. Despite heavy losses, the Radwan Force remains a serious threat.
Abuse of Medical Infrastructure
The parallels extend beyond tunnels.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah systematically exploit medical infrastructure for military purposes.
Under international law, hospitals and ambulances are protected unless they are used for combat. When terrorist groups weaponize these facilities, they forfeit that protection.
Hamas has repeatedly exploited healthcare sites for terror activity. Yet when Israel acts against these locations, media coverage often defaults to accusations, stripped of context.
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Hezbollah operates in much the same way.
As a hybrid organization embedded within Lebanese civilian society, it deliberately blurs the line between civilian and military infrastructure, erasing the distinction altogether.
This is not accidental; it is strategic. Civilian environments provide cover, both operationally and in the court of international opinion.
Evidence of Hezbollah using ambulances for military purposes has been publicly exposed by the IDF. Yet much of the media ignores this reality, instead reinforcing the narrative that Israel is targeting healthcare.
The IDF publishes footage it says shows Hezbollah using ambulances for military purposes.
The footage released by the military shows weapons troops found inside ambulances bearing the logo of the Risala Scout Association, a paramedic group affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied… pic.twitter.com/ir3dxzHBwX
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 24, 2026
The Real “Gaza Model”
The similarities between Gaza and Lebanon are not coincidental.
They are engineered by the same organizations the IDF is fighting to eliminate.
What the media describes as the “Gaza model” or “Gaza playbook” is not Israel exporting tactics. It is Israel confronting the same strategy deployed by two different terrorist organizations.
So when schools, hospitals, and homes along Israel’s borders become part of the terrorists’ infrastructure, this is not about Israel repeating a playbook.
It is about Hamas and Hezbollah operating from the same one.
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