The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Hezbollah prioritizes Israel’s security while neglecting Lebanon’s.
The ceasefire agreement brokered between Israel and the terrorist Hezbollah, under the auspices of the United States and other international actors, is not a minor lapse or a momentary oversight. It is a catastrophic and unforgivable failure that ignores the existential threat posed by this jihadist militia, which operates as a proxy for Iran’s mullah regime. Hezbollah’s mission is to dismantle Lebanon, transform it into a subservient Iranian satellite, and impose a sectarian, regressive order while simultaneously undermining regional peace and stability. Globally, it serves Tehran’s ambitions, conducting terrorist operations in pursuit of the mullahs’ dreams of hegemony and a revived Persian empire.
By ceasing its military campaign prematurely, Israel squandered a golden opportunity to eradicate this Iranian proxy. This failure is particularly glaring given the unprecedented regional and international support available to achieve such a decisive outcome. For decades, Hezbollah has devastated Lebanon, jeopardized its sovereignty, and threatened stability across the Middle East. Israel’s retreat before completing the mission will likely have dire consequences that extend far beyond Lebanon’s borders.
Since the Syrian occupation ended in 2005, Hezbollah has transformed Lebanon into an Iranian outpost—a warehouse for arms, a battlefield for Tehran’s wars, and a hub for global terrorism. It thrives on illicit activities, including arms smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, and assassinations, all executed with impunity. Under Hezbollah’s dominion, Lebanon has become a failed state, its government, parliament, judiciary, and even religious authorities reduced to tools of its occupation.
For nearly two decades, Lebanon’s population has endured unimaginable suffering: economic collapse, political paralysis, judicial corruption, theft of bank deposits, and a reign of terror marked by assassinations and coercion. The Lebanese people are now hostages in their own country, their fate manipulated by Hezbollah’s whims and Tehran’s directives.
The current ceasefire does nothing to resolve these core issues. Instead, it delays the inevitable resurgence of violence. The only viable solution lies in decisive international action, including the invocation of Chapter VII of the UN Charter to declare Lebanon a failed and rogue state. The United Nations must assume temporary governance, enforce UN resolutions, The Armistice Accord, 1559, 1680, and 1701, and take comprehensive measures to disarm and dismantle all militias—starting with Hezbollah. Restoring the Lebanese Army as the sole military authority and empowering the Lebanese people to rebuild their nation free from the grip of Iranian occupation are essential steps to reclaim sovereignty.
Hezbollah’s continued existence poses a direct threat not only to Lebanon’s future but also to Israel’s security and the stability of the entire region. Allowing this terrorist organization to survive in any capacity guarantees that Lebanon will remain an Iranian proxy, a battleground for Tehran’s ambitions, and a platform for global terrorism.
We warn the international community: Hezbollah and its Iranian masters cannot be trusted to honor any agreements. Hezbollah epitomizes evil—corrupt, sectarian, and fundamentally opposed to peace, humanity, and civilization. Turning a blind eye to its crimes under the guise of a ceasefire is a betrayal of Lebanon, Israel, and the Middle East at large.
In conclusion, half-measures are no longer an option. The international community must abandon the illusion of temporary solutions and confront the root of the problem. Only decisive action—disarming Hezbollah and restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty—can secure lasting peace and stability in the region. Anything less is a grave disservice to Lebanon, Israel, and the world.
Background What does the US-brokered truce ending Israel-Hezbollah fighting include? Reuters/November 27, 2024 BEIRUT: Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah are set to implement a ceasefire early on Wednesday as part of a US-proposed deal for a 60-day truce to end more than a year of hostilities. The text of the deal has not been published and Reuters has not seen a draft. US President Joe Biden announced the deal, saying it was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities. Israel’s security cabinet has approved it and it will be put to the whole cabinet for review. Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the deal, which Hezbollah approved last week. The agreement, negotiated by US mediator Amos Hochstein, is five pages long and includes 13 sections, according to a senior Lebanese political source with direct knowledge of the matter. Here is a summary of its key provisions. HALT TO HOSTILITIES The halt to hostilities is set to begin at 4 a.m local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday, Biden announced, with both sides expected to cease fire by Wednesday morning. The senior Lebanese source said Israel was expected to “stop carrying out any military operations against Lebanese territory, including against civilian and military targets, and Lebanese state institutions, through land, sea and air.” All armed groups in Lebanon — meaning Hezbollah and its allies — would halt operations against Israel, the source said. ISRAELI TROOPS WITHDRAW Two Israeli officials said the Israeli military would withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days. Biden said the troops would gradually pull out and civilians on both sides would be able to return home. Lebanon had earlier pushed for Israeli troops to withdraw as quickly as possible within the truce period, Lebanese officials told Reuters. They now expect Israeli troops to withdraw within the first month, the senior Lebanese political source said. A Lebanese official told Reuters the deal included language that preserved both Lebanon’s and Israel’s rights to self-defense. HEZBOLLAH PULLS NORTH, LEBANESE ARMY DEPLOYS Hezbollah fighters will leave their positions in southern Lebanon to move north of the Litani River, which runs about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel. Their withdrawal will not be public, the senior Lebanese political source said. He said the group’s military facilities “will be dismantled” but it was not immediately clear whether the group would take them apart itself, or whether the fighters would take their weapons with them as they withdrew. The Lebanese army would deploy troops to south of the Litani to have around 5,000 soldiers there, including at 33 posts along the border with Israel, a Lebanese security source told Reuters. “The deployment is the first challenge — then how to deal with the locals that want to return home,” given the risks of unexploded ordnance, the source said. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced by Israeli strikes on Lebanon, many of them from south Lebanon. Hezbollah sees the return of the displaced to their homes as a priority, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters. Tens of thousands displaced from northern Israel are also expected to return home. MONITORING MECHANISM One of the sticking points in the final days leading to the ceasefire’s conclusion was how it would be monitored, Lebanon’s deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab told Reuters. A pre-existing tripartite mechanism between the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Lebanese army and the Israeli army would be expanded to include the US and France, with the US chairing the group, Bou Saab said. Israel would be expected to flag possible breaches to the monitoring mechanism, and France and the US together would determine whether a violation had taken place, an Israeli official and a Western diplomat told Reuters. A joint statement by Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said France and the US would work together to ensure the deal is applied fully. UNILATERAL ISRAELI STRIKES Israeli officials have insisted that the Israeli army would continue to strike Hezbollah if it identified threats to its security, including transfers of weapons and military equipment to the group. An Israeli official told Reuters that US envoy Amos Hochstein, who negotiated the agreement, had given assurances directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could carry out such strikes on Lebanon. Netanyahu said in a televised address after the security cabinet met that Israel would strike Hezbollah if it violated the deal. The official said Israel would use drones to monitor movements on the ground in Lebanon. Lebanese officials say that provision is not in the deal that it agreed, and that it would oppose any violations of its sovereignty.
