Israel is intensifying attacks on Lebanon, is it planning another war?

"For months, Israel has threatened another military escalation against Lebanon, claiming it would be a punishment for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) not moving quickly enough to disarm Hezbollah. But analysts told Al Jazeera that Lebanon's government and army have undertaken to disarm the group, which has fought Israel several times since the 1980s, most recently from September to November 2024."

"While there is more to be done on the Lebanese side, it requires international support and a key missing ingredient: Israel's cooperation. There are daily violations of the ceasefire by Israel in Lebanon, and it would be unfair at this stage to pin the blame on the Lebanese government, Lebanese political analyst Karim Emile Bitar told Al Jazeera. The Lebanese government went above and beyond what was required and took a historic decision to ask the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah, he said."

"The Israelis have not held up their side of the bargain, Bitar said, as was made clear during US special envoy Tom Barrack's visit to Israel. Barrack clearly acknowledged that he could not get [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu to acknowledge that Lebanon had started implementing this ambitious and long-awaited initiative, and he was unable to extract any concessions that Israel would withdraw from the five [Lebanese] hilltops it continues to occupy."

Israel has threatened further military escalation against Lebanon while carrying out daily ceasefire violations. Lebanon's government and army have initiated measures to disarm Hezbollah, a group formed during the civil war and the strongest postwar political and military actor. Successful disarmament requires international support and Israeli cooperation, including withdrawal from occupied hilltops. Israeli refusal to acknowledge Lebanese implementation and continued occupation of strategic high ground hinder de-escalation. Hezbollah's arsenal remains controversial, and the Lebanese government decided in August to bring weapons under state control despite Israeli attacks that killed more than 4,000 people, mostly civilians.

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