Secretary of State Marco Rubio is right. Governments negotiate with governments, not terrorist organizations. Governments possess the authority to negotiate peace.

But authority alone does not always determine whether peace can be sustained.

Lebanon, a sovereign government, has the recognized authority to negotiate with Israel, a sovereign government. Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, does not. Yet if Hezbollah chooses to violate a ceasefire, launch rockets, or reject an agreement, it can determine whether peace can be sustained.

Governments can negotiate peace. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, can destroy it.

That reality was reinforced again this week when Hezbollah rejected a US-brokered Israel-Lebanon security proposal, dismissing it as a “surrender” to Israel. The message was clear: governments may negotiate agreements, but organizations outside the negotiating room can still determine whether those agreements endure.

This is not simply a conflict between Israel and Lebanon. It is part of a broader regional struggle involving Israel, Iran,........

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