As Iran prepares for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an indirect round of talks between Tehran and Washington on Wednesday (July 1) concluded without any sign of progress towards a lasting peace.On the other hand, an agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel after months of war has become a subject of criticism, primarily from Hezbollah and its allies. The agreement built on a fundamental premise: that any Israeli withdrawal or redeployment from southern Lebanon is conditional on the Lebanese government disarming Hezbollah.Notably, a 14-clause Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Iran and the US cemented Lebanon’s integration with the US-Iran cessation of hostilities. Hence, the prevailing situation doesn’t appear to bode well for a lasting peace in the region. Beyond the diplomatic deadlock, developments on the battlefield have drawn equal attention. A critical aspect of the Israel-Lebanon conflict, particularly in southern Lebanon, is the use of a low-cost weapon that Hezbollah deployed to lethal effect against Israel’s advanced electronic warfare systems. It draws attention to the changing nature of asymmetric warfare. Also Read | Beyond Trending: What is war of attrition?Asymmetric warfareAsymmetric warfare refers to a mode of combat where conflicting parties have dissimilar aims, means, or methods. It stands in contrast to the traditional understanding of war, usually represented as inter-state confrontation. Patrick A Mello, an assistant professor in international security, underlines that such confrontation is considered symmetrical when regular armies are deployed for combat, operate with similar weaponry, and use comparable tactics of warfare. On the other hand, asymmetric warfare involves modes of combat such as insurgency and counterinsurgency, partisan and guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and cyberattacks, he adds.Story continues below this adWhy stronger militaries do not always winAsymmetric warfare, tactics, and weapons have been used throughout recorded history. In the period following WWII, for instance, a number of conflicts showed that military and technological superiority may be a highly unreliable guide to the outcome of wars, observes Andrew Mack.America’s war in Vietnam is one such example of asymmetric warfare. In his observation of this war, Henry Kissinger wrote in 1969, “We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the process we lost sight of one of the cardinal maxims of guerrilla war: the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win.”Therefore, scholars argue that while power matters, other things like resolve, technology, strategy, and leadership can lead to unexpected outcomes. Weaker actors in a conflict seek to gain an edge by using unconventional methods, which help them overcome their conventional weaknesses compared to their opponent. Don't Miss | How dual-use technologies shape conflicts, raise legal and ethical questionsHow asymmetric warfare continues to shape the battlefieldThe use of fibre-optic drones by Hezbollah against Israel shows how rules of asymmetric warfare continue to evolve. However, it would be wrong to assume that asymmetric warfare is always about weak versus strong. Rather, it is about how the warring sides make use of asymmetric methods when conventional superiority doesn’t seem to decide the outcome. Story continues below this adAs Mello notes, strong actors can also shift towards asymmetric warfare when this serves their needs. They may make use of methods against an opponent who cannot respond in kind. In recent years, evolving, innovative, and accessible technologies have further reshaped asymmetric warfare. Against this backdrop, the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, the slow progress in the Iran-US talks, and asymmetries in military capabilities suggest that the battlefield remains as decisive as diplomacy in shaping the prospects of lasting peace in West Asia. Send your comments at ashiya.parveen@indianexpress.com.Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2026. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.