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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/16/between-the-iranian-hammer-and-the-lebanese-anvil/
Israel's Withdrawal from South Lebanon Should Be Tied to Hizbullah's Complete Disarmament
(Israel Hayom) Dr. Yossi Mansharof - The reality in Beirut is clear: despite efforts at revival, the Lebanese state remains a hollow entity. The Lebanese army lacks the ability and the will to enforce government decisions regarding the disarmament of Hizbullah. Accordingly, any diplomatic agreement signed with Lebanon, without physical guarantees on the ground, will not be worth the paper it is written on. Israel cannot entrust the security of its residents to a phantom sovereign that does not control its own backyard. Faced with this governing vacuum, in which Iran and Hizbullah remain the true sovereign in Lebanon, Israel must shift from a strategy of active defense to one of creating a new reality. The key lies in establishing a sterile zone south of the Litani River to neutralize the direct-fire antitank threat that has become Hizbullah's main strategic tool for disrupting daily life in northern Israel. Neutralizing that threat requires physical Israeli control of the area and controlling the high ground that topographically overlooks the Galilee communities in Israel. Israel's withdrawal from the sterile zone should be tied to one result alone: Hizbullah's complete disarmament. Jerusalem must reject pressure for a quick ceasefire in Lebanon and firmly refuse any dictate linking the northern campaign to a deal with Tehran. Halting the fighting prematurely, while leaving Hizbullah standing on the fences, would amount to a strategic victory for the axis of evil and lay the groundwork for a far more violent and deadly next round. The writer is a lecturer in the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa, and a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.