Diplomatic efforts in the Middle East continue to stall as Israel and Hezbollah continue to fight in the Southern region of Lebanon. Despite initial efforts by the U.S. to broker a ceasefire plan between the two, Hezbollah and Israel continue to attack each other, even amidst threats from Iran to resume missile attacks against Tel Aviv.
The key issue right now is that Israel is determined to create a buffer zone in Southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah currently operates, and is attempting to remove the Iranian proxies through military means.
Merkava Tank Israel. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Israel Merkava Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This is unacceptable to Iran and is currently stalling any diplomatic efforts.
Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah Fails
On Wednesday, Israel and the official civil authorities of Lebanon agreed to renew the ceasefire between the two countries and create a neutral security zone in which Hezbollah will not be allowed to operate.
The agreement, according to U.S. officials, “is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River.
The security zones, according to the initial agreements, would be controlled by the Lebanese Army to dissuade any fears of IDF occupation in the country. “These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the U.S. said. “All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments. They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.”
Earlier today, Hezbollah officially rejected the terms of the ceasefire and vowed to continue its operations against Israel. In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV channel, the group’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassam, said: “A security framework under a false ceasefire that requires Hezbollah to stop firing and withdraw from the south while aggression continues under military pressure is surrender and defeat.” Qassam called the agreement an illusion and said that the militant group cannot rely on Israel to keep its end of the bargain. We are only concerned with a full cessation of aggression and a complete Israeli withdrawal,” He said. “We will fight the invaders until we expel them and stop their aggression.”
Iran Threatens Retaliation (Again)
Iran, for its part, has called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territory. A statement was issued by Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, who leads the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps threatening Israel with retaliatory actions if its military remains. In the statement, he said that “eliminating Israel from the region … is the duty of all of us and the long-sought aspiration of Muslims.”
While Iran has already targeted Kuwait and Bahrain, it has yet to fire new salvos against Israel. If fighting in Lebanon continues, Iran has vowed to take further offensive action.
Tensions in Lebanon increased even further after a Serbian U.N. peacekeeper was killed when a mortar struck their base near the town of Marjayoun in Southeastern Lebanon. The United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) reported the incident earlier today and confirmed that two other soldiers were injured in the attack. “A UNIFIL peacekeeper died early this morning from critical injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position,” the statement read. An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the incident, although many have already suspected the IDF of carrying out the attack. Several UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon have been killed in previous incidents this year by both the IDF and Hezbollah combatants.
Diplomatic Talks are Still Ongoing… For Now
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran remain in contact, although no progress has been made toward a lasting peace deal. On Wednesday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that “no tangible progress” has been made in negotiations to end the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. “Communications with the Americans have not been cut off,” Aragchi added. “Messages have been exchanged regarding the need to stop aggression against Beirut, but no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process.” He further added that Iran does not want to continue hostilities with the U.S., but that the IRGC is prepared to do so if necessary.
This more or less confirms what has already been known. Diplomatic talks between the parties involved are unable to progress due to the bottleneck in Lebanon.
Thankfully, the last 24 hours have been relatively quiet as far as Iran and Israel are concerned. Despite diplomatic efforts apparently failing, the war has not yet resumed to the levels seen in March. This could be due to hesitation on Iran’s part to resume fighting. It could be that both the U.S. and Iran are still preparing for full-scale hostilities to resume.
The situation is still rapidly developing and could change at any moment. Observers on all sides are hoping that a peaceful settlement is reached, or at the very least, the ceasefire is extended to avoid further economic fallout from the conflict.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
