Crossroads: Lebanon wants to advance in disarming Hezbollah, but fears the consequences

A senior Israeli official criticizes the Lebanese army, claiming it has failed the test of disarming Hezbollah and is engaging in 'cosmetics'. The Israeli security establishment says the biggest fear in Beirut is a return to civil war, but also that Hezbollah has changed and is perceived differently by the Lebanese public. The IDF continues searches and strikes in southern Lebanon.

A senior Israeli official sharply criticizes the conduct of the Lebanese army under the memorandum of understanding between Beirut and Jerusalem, agreed upon in Rome. According to him, the Lebanese army is afraid to confront Hezbollah, collect weapons, and destroy infrastructure, and is engaging in 'cosmetics' instead of addressing the root of the problem in southern Lebanon. The Israeli security establishment claims that the biggest fear of the Lebanese government and its army is a return to civil war, a scenario that deters them from acting broadly. However, the security establishment argues that Hezbollah has changed politically and militarily and is not the same organization from the Nasrallah era, so the situation should be exploited. The IDF continues searches in southern Lebanon between the yellow line and the international border to locate terrorist infrastructure. In recent days, messages have been exchanged between Beirut and Jerusalem through US mediation to calm the area. Walla has learned that mayors in southern Lebanon have approached Hezbollah demanding the removal of weapons from their areas, fearing IDF strikes.