SOUTH LEBANON – It was not surprising when the Israeli occupation regime announced that it does not intend to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon following support from the Trump administration. The announcement confirms the occupation regime’s usual policy of disrespecting any UN agreement.

The refusal along with its aggressive policies are in line with Washington’s imperialist schemes. This is what Mike Herzog, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, acknowledged by stating that the American administration “has to take into account Israel’s security needs.”

According to the broad US-Israeli concept, “Israel’s security needs” include all regional territories, i.e. what is called “Greater Israel”.

Currently, in such a critical transitional phase in Lebanon and the region, Tel Aviv is betting on the US political pressure on Beirut to restrict the Hezbollah resistance movement by dragging it into a dramatic confrontation with the Lebanese government if it launches any righteous defensive operation against the occupation forces.

This was confirmed by a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office in which it revealed a premeditated US-Israeli intention not to abide by the 60-day period “based on the fact that the ceasefire agreement was not fully imposed by the Lebanese state.”

The statement was released following a lengthy cabinet meeting in which it was decided, without a vote, not to complete the withdrawal, while sending a boastful message stating that the army would respond – severely – to Hezbollah’s “violations”. 

Netanyahu’s office claimed that the Israeli occupation forces’ withdrawal was conditional on the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south and north of the Litani River.

This implies a message stating that the Israel occupation force (IOF) is prepared to respond to any Hezbollah’s defensive operation, in the foreseeable future, even if it does not rise to the level of a large-scale war based on the need not to inflame the political situation with the US proxies in Lebanon or the anti-Hezbollah team.

Thus, the nature, size and timing of the Israeli aggressive steps will be in harmony with the internal developments in Lebanon according to the US plans, which are drawn up and defined in terms of its colonial objectives. 

Undoubtedly, this is nothing but compensation for the humiliating Israeli failure to achieve any strategic goal during roughly two months of intensive bombardment of Lebanon, despite all the severe blows that Hezbollah and its people endured.

Since October 8, 2023, the date Hezbollah rushed to support the Palestinians against Israel’s war on Gaza, it has become necessary for the Israeli enemy to use new hostile tools, which will be implemented by Washington’s proxies in the parliament and the future Lebanese cabinet at a more controlled pace. 

Yedioth Ahronoth summed up these endeavors by saying, “Israeli leaders see that the current time is a historic opportunity to prevent the re-emergence of terrorist groups inside Lebanon” in an open reference to the Hezbollah resistance movement.

The newspaper further called for caution against any uncalculated step that would weaken Washington’s influence in Lebanon and thus necessitate the need for resistance.

In any case, at this drastic stage, the primary and pivotal responsibility lies with the Lebanese state, which claimed that it is capable of diplomatically confronting the Zionist aggression and that there is no need for resistance.