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Iran Uses Hizbullah as a Forward Operating Base

(X) Michael Singh - The ceasefire in Lebanon is welcome and a testament to Israel's stunning military success. But it is largely a pledge to implement Resolution 1701. I helped to devise and negotiate that resolution in 2006; we did not consider it sufficient then, and it's not enough now. Left to its own devices, Iran will rebuild Hizbullah given time So what is necessary to keep Hizbullah down this time? First, address the root of the problem - Iran cannot be allowed to continue disregarding Lebanon's sovereignty and using it as a forward operating base. All tools of U.S. and allied power should be used to disrupt Iran's support for Hizbullah. Mount a comprehensive international effort to weaken and isolate Hizbullah, including financially. This starts with the EU et al. "finally" designating the group as a terrorist organization to enable coherent international cooperation against it. Resume U.S.-led efforts to build a multilateral security and diplomatic structure in the Middle East, including normalization between Israel and likeminded Arab states. Israeli-Arab cooperation, facilitated by the U.S., has been key to countering Iranian designs over the past year. Deepening it will prove more effective still. The writer, Managing Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is a former senior director for Middle East affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.
2024-11-28 00:00:00
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