The battle of perception: From Israel's Fauda to Hezbollah's FPV footage

"The footage lasts just three minutes. An Israeli flag flies over a position in the village of al-Bayada, in occupied southern Lebanon. One drone approaches the flagpole while another observes from above. The flag falls after the impact. The final frame displays a digitally rendered, torn Israeli flag with the words: Al-Bayada does not welcome you. The video's caption reads: Flag lowering ceremony."

"Journalists and observers who covered southern Lebanon in the late 1990s may recall Hezbollah's media strategy before the Israeli withdrawal. Al-Manar TV functioned as more than a television channel; it operated as a psychological campaign in plain view. Repeated footage of Israeli soldiers screaming after being attacked with a roadside bomb, retreating, positions abandoned, and flags lowered, created the perception in the Arab world that Israel was already departing before any official decision to do so had been taken."

"Back then, the image pushed forward a new reality, one that played a vital role in mobilising support for Hezbollah and adding pressure on the Israeli government internally to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Then the withdrawal occurred in May 2000, and to many, it felt like a natural result of all that was happening. This approach was never abandoned, but it became unnecessary for a long period due to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's commanding presence and speeches."

"For two decades, Nasrallah was the face of the media war. A man whose son was killed in battle. A leader who said things and then made them happen. What he had could not be taught or replicated; it was credibility accumulated over years of real achievement, giving him the rare ability to reshape how his audience understood events. When something went wrong, he could re"

A three-minute Hezbollah video shows drones striking an Israeli flag in al-Bayada, followed by a digitally rendered torn flag reading “Al-Bayada does not welcome you.” The footage functions as psychological messaging beyond a single location. Hezbollah’s media strategy is linked to earlier use of Al-Manar TV, which repeatedly showed Israeli soldiers reacting to attacks, retreating, abandoning positions, and lowering flags. Those images helped create an impression across the Arab world that Israel was leaving before any official decision. That perception supported Hezbollah mobilization and increased internal pressure on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. After the May 2000 withdrawal, the approach remained but was less necessary for a period due to Hassan Nasrallah’s credibility and media presence.

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