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After the Israeli attack in Quneitra in the Golan Heights last month, many analysts predicted that Hizballah would not respond due to its aversion to a full-scale war with Israel, compounded by its involvement in Syria.

Those observers did not understand how Hizballah thinks.

Hizballah will not allow the Israelis to impose their will on the ground. The group did respond by attacking an Israeli patrol in the Shebaa Farms area, just as it has done on other occasions in the past few years:

- In August 2013, an Israeli unit was ambushed by Hizballah after it had infiltrated the Lebanese border.

- In May 2013, Israeli jets struck an arms shipment in Damascus bound for Hizballah. This triggered a series of attacks in the Golan in response, including an explosion in March 2014 that injured a number of Israeli soldiers.

- In February 2014, Hizballah detonated an explosive device near an Israeli patrol in the Shebaa Farms after Israel attacked the Jinta position on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

- In October 2014, Hizballah staged an attack in the Shebaa Farms area after one of its operatives was killed by an remotely detonated Israeli device in south Lebanon.

Expanding role

Attacks over the past few weeks also show that Hizballah has expanded its area of operations. It is believed that Hizballah is now training Syrian groups in the Golan, and the Israeli attack in Quneitra was an attempt to disrupt them.

Indeed, the Shebaa Farms attack took place a day after rockets were fired into the occupied part of the Golan.

There is now a single front of South Lebanon and the Golan, and Hizballah leader Hasan Nasrallah has recently spoken about his wish to unite armed groups against Israel.

Israel has long sought to separate Arab fronts from one another, and to deal with each Arab foe separately - whether on the battlefield or in political negotiations. This Israeli policy was challenged by strategic military cooperation between Lebanese and Palestinian armed groups.

The new reality is a major setback for Israel. Hizballah has turned from a traditional resistance movement draining the Israeli army into a major deterrent force.

Hizballah has accumulated military power on the border, has changed the rules of the game, and has sought to impose its own vision on the field.

The recent Hizballah attack in Shebaa tells Israel that it too must expect painful losses.

Israel's traditional military superiority has persuaded many Arab foes that any response would mean risking huge losses in blood and treasure. But the recent Hizballah attack in Shebaa, as well as the Israeli wars on Gaza, tells Israel that it too must expect painful losses.

Thus there is no need to justify or cite reasons that  resistance against Israel should unite. Hizballah disagrees with the Hamas movement in Gaza on many issues. But resistance requires a clear understanding of who the real enemy is.

Many, including some in the Muslim Brotherhood, have sat on the fence in a battle between an Arab side and the Israeli enemy.

They did not make the distinction between Arab disputes and an Arab battle with Israel. Rivalries among Arabs were placed above the confrontation with the enemy of the Arab nation.

Such people should pay attention to the message sent out by the commander of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas - Mohammed Deif offered his condolences to Hizballah for the dead in Quneitra, and said all rifles should be trained on the enemy of the Arabs - Israel.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the original author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of al-Araby al-Jadeed, its editorial board or staff.