Sustaining a broader ceasefire requires concessions on both sides — Israel scaling back strikes that risk derailing diplomacy, and Lebanon taking real steps to curb Hezbollah's attacks and reassert state control. Continued fighting only fuels civilian harm and instability, while progress depends on mutual restraint, credible security guarantees and willingness to negotiate beyond short-term battlefield gains.
Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah, degrading its position and forcing it into a strategic bind as Iran's influence falters. Yet the group continues launching rockets and remains too powerful for Lebanon to control. For lasting safety, Lebanon must assert full state authority by disarming Hezbollah and strengthening its military, alongside continued Israeli pressure to eliminate the group's remaining capabilities.
Israel's U.S.-backed campaign in Lebanon fuses devastating bombardment with coercive diplomacy, using civilian destruction to extract political concessions and sideline Hezbollah. Negotiations conducted under ongoing strikes are inherently compromised, turning diplomacy into an extension of force. By backing this approach, Washington risks entrenching violence, undermining international law and foreclosing any credible path to a just, lasting peace.
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