Security zone in Southern Lebanon with new ceasefire terms and continuous military strikes against Hezbollah and increased tension on the border.
In an already combustible backdrop in the Middle East, the latest developments around the Israel-Lebanon border suggest that the military confrontation is entering a new, more institutionalized but no less dangerous phase. According to international reports, Tel Aviv is seeking the formation of an extended zone of control in South Lebanon, accompanied by rules of engagement that allow for continuous targeted strikes against Hezbollah positions even in the context of a possible ceasefire. These moves are part of a broader strategy of rebalancing along the border, where security, deterrence and regional influence coexist with an ongoing low-intensity conflict that remains fluid and unpredictable.
The Israeli military is seeking to maintain control of a security zone deep inside southern Lebanon in the event of a a ceasefire with Hezbollah, as well as the freedom to strike military activities of the pro-Iranian group, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Order to expand the security zone
These terms refer to the November 2024 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, following the two-month Israeli military operation. Under that agreement, Israel maintained a military presence in some Lebanese hills and carried out hundreds of strikes, more than 2,000 according to the conflict monitoring organization ACLED.
During the same period, the Lebanese government cooperated, with some success, to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River, in some cases with the assistance of Israeli intelligence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he has ordered the security zone to be expanded and extended eastward to Mount Hermon, an area near the Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian borders.
Aoun will not contact Netanyahu
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will not have a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the near future, according to three Lebanese officials who spoke to Reuters on Thursday.
The development comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of the two countries were due to hold talks.
Two of the Lebanese officials said the Lebanese embassy in Washington had informed the U.S. government in advance of Aoun’s phone call with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio on Thursday that the Lebanese president would not be talking to Netanyahu.
