US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, that despite Israel's surprising advances against Hezbollah, Israel needed to “pivot” to “diplomatic channels” in Lebanon. spoke.
The statement came after Israel admitted that two “peacekeepers” of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured in Israeli Defense Force (IDF) shelling in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces said it was firing on Hezbollah terrorists near UNIFIL positions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then called on the United Nations to withdraw UNIFIL forces from Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of using them as “human shields.”
Hezbollah began the conflict on October 8, 2023, when it opened fire on Israeli communities in solidarity with Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that carried out the brutal October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. Israel fought back while evacuating more than 60,000 residents from 74 Jewish and Arab towns near its northern border.
The abandoned Israeli town of Shlomi, near the Lebanese border, has been evacuated since October due to shelling by Iran-backed Hezbollah. April 15, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
For nearly a year, Israel has said it is open to a diplomatic solution in which Hezbollah withdraws from the Lebanese border and the border area is demilitarized, as required by UN Security Council resolutions. The Biden-Harris administration sent special envoy Amos Hochstein multiple times to try to reach a deal. But Hezbollah has refused to comply with UN demands and insisted that Israel withdraw from its borders.
Since Israel's Security Cabinet I voted On September 17, Israel made an unexpected advance against its former formidable enemy in Lebanon, making the return of the northern population a key war objective (along with the dismantling of Hamas and the return of hostages). They killed Hezbollah leaders and disrupted communications. , remove it from boundary positions one after another with relatively little loss. Israel achieved this contrary to calls by the Biden-Harris administration for a ceasefire in Lebanon that would leave Hezbollah intact.
Although it is unlikely that Israel will listen to Austin, there are rumors that Israel would accept a ceasefire in Lebanon in exchange for the release of all 101 Israeli hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip. (Hezbollah has previously said it would offer a cease-fire if Israel ceases fighting in Gaza without the hostages.) Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
