Israel is fighting Hezbollah, instead of the state of Lebanon that enables its existence

For months I have been repeating the same statement: Israel is mistaken in its operational concept regarding Lebanon. We continue to fight Hezbollah as if it were a terrorist organization separate from the state, while in practice its influence on the power centers in Lebanon is deep and decisive. The paradox is even greater: on one hand, Israel is conducting negotiations with the Lebanese government, and on the other hand, that same government is struggling, at the very least, to impose its authority on Hezbollah. This is an absurd reality: we are talking to a government that fails to restrain the most powerful military force operating on its territory, while the factor dictating the security reality on the northern border is Hezbollah.

If this is the reality, what exactly are the negotiations about? Israel is again surrendering to the situation picture dictated to it by Washington, instead of acting in accordance with the operational reality. We are adapting ourselves to external political considerations. This was the case in Gaza, this was the case regarding Iran, and so it is in Lebanon. The USA has a clear economic interest; it is interested in perpetuating the management of conflicts in the world, including in the Middle East. This is how it profits from the sale of weapons, military equipment, offensive, defensive, and intelligence technologies for hundreds of billions of dollars a year, therefore it has no interest in this stopping.

Furthermore, the combat arenas in the world, especially in the Middle East, are the testing laboratory for all the military developments of the American defense industries, which prove the efficiency and effectiveness of their military developments. The result is known: another round, another ceasefire, more rearming of the enemy, and no decisive outcome. In my opinion, it is time to stop thinking in terms of "managing the conflict" and start thinking in terms of ending it. As long as the Lebanese government is unable or unwilling to prevent Hezbollah's activity from its territory, the responsibility for what is happening cannot be detached from the Lebanese state.

Israel cannot settle for another round of responses and another temporary arrangement. Facing a state from which aggression against Israeli citizens actually originates, the goal should be to create a new reality in which it is not profitable to allow the continuation of Hezbollah's activity. In a broader view, Israel is not achieving a decisive outcome in any of the arenas where it operates. We strike, we thwart, we respond, but we do not finish; the enemy suffers, recovers, and returns. It is time to stop pretending that there is a separation between Lebanon and Hezbollah. It is time to stop settling for managing the crisis. It is time to change the equation, once and for all.

In conclusion

Israeli policy regarding Lebanon relies, in my opinion, on a flawed premise. Israel continues to conduct negotiations with the Lebanese government, even though in practice it fails to impose its authority on Hezbollah, which holds decisive influence over the security reality in the country. As long as Israel continues to separate Lebanon from Hezbollah, it will continue to manage the conflict instead of leading to a fundamental change in reality.

At the same time, Israel allows international considerations and pressures to influence its freedom of action, instead of shaping an independent policy based on its national interest. It is time to change the concept, to recognize reality as it is, to place clear responsibility on the state from which the threats originate, and to formulate a strategy whose goal is not only achieving temporary quiet, but creating stable deterrence and long-term security for the citizens of Israel.