The Israel-Lebanon Recipe for Never-Ending War¶
Lebanon’s political circumstances, together with Iran’s strengthened regional position, make Hezbollah’s complete disarmament highly unlikely. By conditioning Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon on this outcome—but with no provisions about cutting Hezbollah’s Iranian lifeline—the new framework agreement is dead on arrival.
TEL AVIV—Late last month, Lebanon and Israel signed aframework agreementwith the United States that Lebanon’s chief negotiator, Nada Hamadeh Moawad,describedas a “first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.” But, as the agreement implicitly acknowledges, Israel is not the only threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty. The departure of the Israel Defense Forces from southern Lebanon hinges on the “verified disarmament” of Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah.