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On March 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson issued a warning to residents of the Dahiya district in Beirut: “Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately.” The following day, in a briefing to journalists in Israel, the IDF said that in the week since Hezbollah decided to join the war alongside Iran, Israeli strikes in Lebanon had destroyed hundreds of buildings, including 50 high-rise towers.

The military said attacks on Beirut’s Dahiya district would continue, arguing that “the area still serves as a major hub for Hezbollah activity,” after dozens of villages in southern Lebanon have already been wiped out since October 7, 2023.

During the same briefing, the IDF acknowledged that despite the widespread destruction, it has struggled to deal with the threat posed by Hezbollah drones. It is reasonable to assume that Israeli commanders understand that even if all Hezbollah fighters were pushed far from the border and beyond the Litani River, or if Israel demolished every home and stationed soldiers at checkpoints across Lebanon, the drones and missiles – which are becoming more advanced day by day – would continue to target Israel as long as no diplomatic solution is reached.

But Israel’s true objective is not to hunt down individual missile and drone launchers, and the Netanyahu government appears unwilling to pursue a diplomatic solution that would allow Lebanon and the Lebanese people to exercise their rights under international law. Instead, the........

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