In Lebanon, Israel Wants Dominance, Not Deterrence

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The latest Israeli foray into Lebanon is an attempt to impose the “Gaza model” on the country.

As the American and Israeli war on Iran expands across the Middle East, Lebanon faces its nightmare scenario. Israel has invaded the country once again, supposedly to disarm Lebanese Hezbollah, its non-state rival to the north. This specific component of the broader war is ultimately critical, as it could become the primary focus of the warring parties in the coming weeks, especially if direct confrontation with Iran yields diminishing returns.

It is no secret that Israeli officials have long wanted to apply more pressure on Lebanon to solve the Hezbollah problem. After a year of exchanging fire, Israel opted to invade Lebanon in 2024 to directly combat the group, severely hampering Hezbollah’s ability to conduct serious military operations while killing most of its senior leadership. Following the November 2024 truce that was supposed to constitute a true ceasefire but rather fostered near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Beirut began the effort of disarming Hezbollah.

Different understandings of the now-dead, so-called ceasefire’s details have hampered that process, with both Israel and Hezbollah looking to take advantage of any possible vector to increase their relative power. Indeed, this dynamic is exactly why many feared a new war was coming. Hezbollah rejected disarmament wholesale at first, eventually agreeing to disarm south of the Litani River. 

Even as the Lebanese government proclaimed that it had removed Hezbollah’s military presence south of the Litani—roughly 10 percent of sovereign Lebanese territory that spans its contested border with Israel—its southern neighbor cried foul. It promised a new invasion at the turn of 2026 without full, nationwide Hezbollah........

© The National Interest