The Israeli war in Lebanon is ongoing, with military operations shifting from region to region. In the latest incident, an Israeli strike on Thursday killed a Hezbollah member and two Syrian workers between Mais al-Jabal and Blida in the Marjayoun district.
These operations continue while the five-member UN committee monitoring the ceasefire and Resolution 1701 remains conspicuously silent.
That silence may indicate tacit approval of Israel's actions. Lebanon's official demand that Israel withdraw from five points it has seized in southern Lebanon is receiving little international attention and doesn’t seem to trouble Washington, which leads the monitoring committee. On Wednesday, General Jasper Jeffers met with Lebanese leaders and UNIFIL in Beirut to introduce his successor, General Michael Lahney.
Western diplomats increasingly believe that Lebanon’s state institutions are too weak to assert control over the country. This is due to financial constraints, political fragmentation, and Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system.
