Netanyahu caves to US, France on Hezbollah buffer zone – report

After consultations with allies, Israel reportedly poised to accept Hezbollah remaining near Israeli border.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly expressed the need to push Hezbollah deeper into Lebanon to prevent conflict at the border with Israel, but it appears that he may have caved to the U.S. and France on the buffer zone issue, according to a report Tuesday.

During recent discussions of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, it came to light that the consultations underway between Israel, France, and the U.S. are  inconsistent with Israel’s stated policy and goals to prevent a full-scale war with Lebanon.

Netanyahu had called for a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to secure northern Israel, pushing Hezbollah behind the Litani River in Lebanon.

The goal is to keep Hezbollah far enough from the Israeli frontier that it no longer poses a direct threat to northern Israel, thus enabling the tens of thousands of Israelis who have been displaced because of the war to return to their communities in the north.

It now appears, however, that Israel is prepared to abandon its demand for a buffer zone on its northern frontier.

In addition, Hezbollah’s armories, military posts, and much of its terrorist infrastructure will likely remain intact adjacent to the Israeli border.

The current flare-up on the border with Lebanon is the most severe since the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, with Hezbollah firing dozens of rockets and missiles into Israeli territory since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization – another Iran proxy – on October 7th.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Beirut would “end up like Gaza” if Hezbollah initiates another full-scale war.

Israel preemptively evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from villages and towns near the border following October 7. The Israeli government has publicly stated that for citizens to safely return to their homes, significant changes are required, either through diplomatic negotiations or military action.