Israel has not ceased its offensive against Hizbulah in Lebanon, despite the peace negotiations underway between Iran and the United States to end the war in the region. Benjamin Netanyahu has ignored Donald Trump’s recommendations and has continued his offensive, which in recent weeks has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 people and caused the displacement of over a million. Moreover, after the symbolic fall of the Beaufort castle in Lebanon to the Israeli army, the prime minister himself issued a proclamation announcing “a new stage and a drastic change in the policy we are carrying out” to further expand the military operation in the area.
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Under these circumstances, Iran decided to step up the pressure and announced yesterday the suspension of negotiations with the U.S. if Israel did not stop its attacks in Lebanon once and for all. Trump’s initial reaction was positive, publicly calling for a ceasefire from both Israel and Hizbulah, but it remains to be seen if he will be heeded.
The problem is that if the agreement between Tehran and Washington was already difficult to reach, the introduction of the Lebanon factor only complicates everything further. A triumphant Netanyahu stated yesterday: “We have broken the barrier of fear; we operate on all fronts: Syria, Gaza, Lebanon.” It seems unlikely that once deployed in this area of Lebanon, where Israeli forces have entered many kilometers into the interior of the country for the first time, they will now withdraw.
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Nor do Hizbulah fighters send messages favorable to peace. Between them and others, there is the Lebanese government, which is trying to negotiate the disarmament of this armed group through peaceful means, given the impossibility of doing so militarily. The Hizbulah militia is too strong and powerful, as demonstrated by its continued drone attacks on northern Israeli populations.
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In this context, Netanyahu’s temptation to complete the offensive in Lebanon may weigh much more than Trump’s requests. And with that, destroy all peace options in the region.
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