Dr. Mordechai Kedar warned that Israel must be extremely cautious about any understanding with Lebanon, because Hezbollah remains stronger than the Lebanese state and may refuse to accept any agreement that limits its power.

Kedar said Israel should give the Lebanese government a chance, but not at the cost of surrendering the buffer zone Israel created in Lebanon. He described the new arrangement not as a full peace agreement, but as a memorandum of understanding that gives Israel certain advantages against Hezbollah.

The key question, he said, is whether the Lebanese government can impose its authority over all of Lebanon, especially over Hezbollah. Kedar made clear that this is far from guaranteed, since Hezbollah still holds major military power inside the country.