{"id":40494,"date":"2025-11-26T19:28:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?p=40494"},"modified":"2025-11-26T19:31:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:31:26","slug":"israel-steps-up-pressure-on-hezbollah-as-aouns-washington-visit-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/26\/11\/2025\/israel-steps-up-pressure-on-hezbollah-as-aouns-washington-visit-nears\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Steps Up Pressure on Hezbollah as Aoun\u2019s Washington Visit Nears"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel has sharply intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, striking the movement\u2019s presence in Beirut and killing Haitham Al-Tabtabai \u2013 one of its most prominent military commanders \u2013 in the southern suburbs. The assassination marks a significant escalation, signalling a broader Israeli strategy aimed at exerting maximum pressure and reshaping the balance of power in Lebanon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The operation, carried out in an area widely regarded as the organisation\u2019s core stronghold, reflects an ongoing Israeli approach \u2013 sustained, incremental and designed to neutralise perceived threats before they mature. For Lebanon\u2019s government, the strike adds urgent pressure to assert exclusive control over the country\u2019s weapons and prevent any actor from undermining national security.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, President Joseph Aoun used his first Independence Day address as a civilian head of state to unveil a five-point initiative with both military and diplomatic dimensions. He asserted the Lebanese Army\u2019s readiness to take over all contested positions along the southern border and called for Lebanon to move immediately before the Quintet Committee with a clear, time-bound plan for the handover.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second point set out the army\u2019s willingness to assume control once all violations and hostilities cease and Israeli forces withdraw from all disputed locations. Third, he proposed assigning the Quintet Committee a monitoring role south of the Litani River to ensure full Lebanese state authority. Fourth, he announced Lebanon\u2019s readiness for internationally backed negotiations \u2013 under UN, US or joint sponsorship \u2013 to establish a permanent cessation of cross-border attacks. Finally, Aoun called for international sponsorship and support to rebuild war-damaged areas and strengthen the Lebanese Army, with firm timelines to guarantee that all weapons outside state authority are eliminated across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read also: No State Under Two Powers: Lebanon\u2019s Struggle Against Hezbollah\u2019s Grip<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weakening Hezbollah<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lebanese writer Hanna Saleh told <\/span>+963<\/b> that Israel\u2019s response to Aoun\u2019s initiative \u201cdid not take long\u201d. A wave of airstrikes followed almost immediately, hitting southern Lebanon as well as the central and northern Bekaa, culminating in the assassination in Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saleh noted that an Israeli security source openly stated that the \u201cweakening phase\u201d of Hezbollah must be completed before the end of the year. He argued that this latest escalation forms part of a \u201ccriminal strategy\u201d designed to eliminate any future threat deemed intolerable by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if Israel accepts a ceasefire agreement, Saleh said, the fourth clause effectively enshrines a victor\u2019s prerogative \u2013 granting Israel scope to intervene whenever it perceives a threat. This means Israeli strikes are likely to continue, serving long-term objectives that go far beyond Hezbollah\u2019s stated claims about rebuilding its military capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saleh warned that the assassination of Al-Tabtabai in the heart of Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs places Greater Beirut within Israel\u2019s target bank \u2013 a dramatic shift that heightens the risk of a wider conflict and demands urgent action to prevent Lebanon sliding into a devastating war.<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that the operation exposes the depth of Israel\u2019s intelligence penetration, stretching \u201cfrom the top of the Revolutionary Guard\u2019s hierarchy to the last fighter in Hezbollah\u201d. In his view, it also undercuts the organisation\u2019s narrative about restoring its capabilities or repairing its compromised security apparatus, which has suffered repeated blows affecting its senior command.<\/span><\/p>\n

The accumulation of dangers, he stressed, places a heavy responsibility on the Lebanese authorities to enforce the 5 August decision requiring all weapons to be under state control. \u201cThis phase demands actions, not statements,\u201d Saleh concluded. \u201cProtecting the country and safeguarding civilian lives requires decisive measures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s Position<\/b><\/h2>\n

US President Donald Trump said that Hezbollah in Lebanon is \u201cnot in a good place\u201d, revealing that he intends to invite President Aoun to the White House soon. Trump claimed the Middle East is witnessing \u201creal peace for the first time\u201d, adding that reducing Iran\u2019s influence had removed a \u201cdark cloud\u201d from the region and that a deal with Tehran \u201cmay be possible\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a meeting with New York\u2019s mayor, Zahran Mamdani, Trump reiterated that Hezbollah \u201chas remained a problem in Lebanon\u201d and that his administration is working with various actors to \u201cachieve peace in the region\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read also: Ceasefire at Risk: Lebanon Back in the Danger Zone<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Long-term Accumulation<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lebanese political figure Charbel Jabbour told <\/span>+963<\/b> that nothing fundamentally new has emerged \u2013 the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah has persisted for more than two years, with no signs of a shift in trajectory. The Lebanese government, he said, must take a clear and decisive stance on disarming Hezbollah, arguing that continued inaction leaves Lebanon hostage to an entrenched and destructive status quo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s current predicament, Jabbour added, is not sudden but the result of long-standing dynamics shaped by Iran\u2019s dominance and its ability to dictate Lebanon\u2019s military decisions through an armed, non-state organisation. He noted that Hezbollah has effectively overturned the Taif Agreement since the 1990s, despite both Lebanese and international resolutions \u2013 notably 1559 and 1701 \u2013 requiring the disarmament of militias.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without concrete steps, Jabbour warned, the confrontation will remain open-ended and ever more destabilising, replacing the state\u2019s institutions with a parallel authority and deepening Lebanon\u2019s political paralysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding Trump\u2019s invitation to Aoun, Jabbour said the matter rests solely with Washington. For Lebanon, the priority should be implementing obligations already laid out in the president\u2019s oath and the ministerial statement. Executing the decisions on exclusive state control over arms, he argued, would remove any justification for American or external pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, Jabbour concluded, Lebanon continues to avoid its duties \u2013 for numerous reasons \u2013 but the essential requirement is simple: the state must enforce its own constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Dangerous Warning<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lebanese writer Assaad Bechara told <\/span>+963<\/b> that the killing of Al-Tabtabai represents Israel\u2019s \u201cmost serious warning yet\u201d. Diplomatic sources, he said, emphasise that the operation was not merely an intelligence success but a turning point in the rules of engagement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The coming period, Bechara warned, could involve days or weeks of fighting, with a precarious balance between attempts to contain the situation and pressures that could lead to uncontrolled escalation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hezbollah, he argued, faces significant difficulties in responding \u2013 not only due to the strategic calculus but also because the balance of power has shifted dramatically. Israel currently holds the initiative, raising the threshold and operating with wide technological and intelligence superiority. Hezbollah knows that a major response could trigger a confrontation it cannot afford, while a limited one would change nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bechara added that the Lebanese state has once again become a \u201cpolitical commentator\u201d \u2013 issuing statements rather than exercising authority. With institutions paralysed, the government is observing events rather than shaping them.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Aoun\u2019s impending visit to Washington, Bechara described it as a decisive moment that will reveal the true stance of Lebanon\u2019s leadership \u2013 \u201cblack or white, with no room for grey\u201d. Critical questions will be on the table: the future of military relations with the US, Lebanon\u2019s regional positioning and the state\u2019s capacity to control its own security decisions. Any hesitation, he warned, will be interpreted as weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced this posture, vowing to continue doing \u201cwhatever is necessary\u201d to prevent Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza from rebuilding their capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retired Egyptian Major General Sayed Ghoneim \u2013 visiting professor at NATO and the Brussels Military Academy \u2013 told <\/span>+963<\/b> that Israel is pursuing two parallel objectives: undermining recent statements by Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem about the organisation\u2019s continued strength and preventing Hezbollah from restoring its military capacity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The broader aim, he said, is to eliminate Hezbollah\u2019s role in Lebanon\u2019s political and military landscape, while preparing the regional environment for a potential strike on Iran. This includes neutralising possible interventions by Hezbollah or Yemen\u2019s Houthis and managing the Syrian theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ghoneim concluded that Israel is simultaneously seeking to freeze the situation in Gaza in any workable form, while further weakening Hezbollah ahead of a possible confrontation with Iran \u2013 a strategy bolstered by strong support from President Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israel has sharply intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, striking the movement\u2019s presence in Beirut and killing Haitham Al-Tabtabai \u2013 one of its most prominent military commanders \u2013 in the southern suburbs. The assassination marks a significant escalation, signalling a broader Israeli strategy aimed at exerting maximum pressure and reshaping the balance of power in Lebanon. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":40495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"0","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"g:i a d\/m\/Y","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"5","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Beirut strike killing senior commander signals a shift in Israel\u2013Hezbollah rules of engagement and tests Lebanon\u2019s ability to reclaim state authority."},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[430,19],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[395],"class_list":["post-40494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael Steps Up Pressure on Hezbollah as Aoun\u2019s Washington Visit Nears - 963+<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/26\/11\/2025\/israel-steps-up-pressure-on-hezbollah-as-aouns-washington-visit-nears\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel Steps Up Pressure on Hezbollah as Aoun\u2019s Washington Visit Nears\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Israel has sharply intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, striking the movement\u2019s presence in Beirut and killing Haitham Al-Tabtabai \u2013 one of its most prominent military commanders \u2013 in the southern suburbs. 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The assassination marks a significant escalation, signalling a broader Israeli strategy aimed at exerting maximum pressure and reshaping the balance of power in Lebanon. 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