Senior Israeli security officials warn that Washington’s understandings with Tehran could turn Lebanon into part of Iran’s regional ceasefire framework.
Senior Israeli security officials are warning that recent American steps in the negotiations with Iran may amount to a de facto acceptance of Tehran’s demand to apply the principle of “unity of the arenas” to Lebanon.
According to the warning, Iran has tied its willingness to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to calm in Lebanon and to a halt in IDF operations against Hezbollah. The concern in Israel is that Washington has accepted this linkage, giving Iran leverage over Lebanon and over Israel’s freedom of action against Hezbollah.
The reported plan also includes the creation of a new “deconfliction body” for Lebanon, as part of a broader regional ceasefire mechanism with the participation of Qatar and Pakistan. In practice, Israeli officials fear that such a body would focus not on dismantling Hezbollah, but on stopping Israeli strikes and pushing for a full IDF withdrawal from south Lebanon.
