Every indication is that their army was and is quite formidable in a conventional fight. Particularly against relatively poorly-led and organized but large and

Every indication is that their army was and is quite formidable in a conventional fight. Particularly against relatively poorly-led and organized but large and well-equipped armies like the arab armies of the 60s-70s. Counter-insurgency is a whole different ballgame, though, as many nations have discovered the hard way. Israel can almost sorta kinda do it well sometimes. It's worth noting that Hezbollah is quite terrible at counter-insurgency too, and they know it, which is why they've never made any attempt to take control of the rest of Lebanon outside the Shia area they control in the south.