THE fact that the truce between Israel and Lebanon has been extended for three weeks should be welcomed. But there should be no illusions about Tel Aviv’s intentions in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East. It is not seeking genuine peace; instead, the objective is clearly to destroy all forces that stand in its way of expansion. The Zionist state’s ultimate dream — a nightmare for the rest of the states of the region — is one of a ‘Greater Israel’. Under American aegis, Lebanese and Israeli officials extended the truce in Washington, with US President Donald Trump commenting that his country would work with Lebanon to “protect itself from Hezbollah”. Any protection the Lebanese need is from Israel’s brutal attacks — despite the extension of the ceasefire, Tel Aviv continued its hostile activities on Lebanese soil yesterday.

Israel has caused immense devastation in Lebanon after initiating hostilities in early March. The death toll exceeds 2,200, with Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil among the latest victims. She was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli strike. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has termed her killing a war crime. In fact, her death is one in a series of war crimes committed by Israel across occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Iran. The aim of Israel-Lebanon parleys seems to be the disarmament of Hezbollah. Perhaps this focus is misplaced; the goal of the talks should be the complete withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territory, and a pledge from Tel Aviv not to attack the Arab state again. Of course, this cannot be expected from Israel, which has been regularly violating Lebanese sovereignty since 1948. It currently occupies a so-called security zone in Lebanon, demolishing villages and homes in the south. Remarking on this illegal occupation, the Israeli prime minister has said “we are not leaving”. The past few days also saw extremist Israeli settlers cross over into Syria and Lebanon, before being herded back.

Lebanon has seen decades of foreign invasions and internal strife. The road to normalcy lies in ending the Israeli occupation and preventing the frequent invasions of its belligerent neighbour. Hezbollah’s arms are an internal Lebanese matter, and Israel and the US should not be dictating the terms. All Lebanese political forces must work to end the Israeli occupation of their land. They must ensure that a ‘peace deal’ does not turn out to be an instrument of surrender. Israel rarely gives up territory it has occupied unless the terms are tilted heavily in its favour. The OIC, the Arab League, as well as other international actors must see to it that Israel ends its hostilities in Lebanon permanently, and is held to account for the loss of lives in Lebanon, and the massive destruction of property there.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026