TEHRAN – The announcement of a 45-day extension to the so-called “ceasefire” in Lebanon has done little to stop the Israeli aggression. But it does raise questions about the Lebanese government.

On Saturday, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) warned residents of a dozen towns and villages to flee immediately ahead of attacks, designating a forced displacement list. This was followed by violent airstrikes against dozens of towns, villages, and farms. Heavy explosions also rocked roads presumably targeting vehicles. The aggression has caused fatalities and injuries. 

This comes after the Lebanese negotiating delegation’s announcement of an agreement to extend the “ceasefire” between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation regime for an additional 45 days, alongside progress in the security and political tracks. It noted that “extending the truce and establishing a U.S.-sponsored security track opens a political path toward lasting stability.” 

The delegation stated that “launching an official political track reflects Lebanon’s constructive engagement and enhances chances of reaching a lasting peaceful solution,” revealing that the next round of direct talks with the Zionist regime will be held on June 2 and 3 at the U.S. State Department.

On security, the delegation said Washington will work to enhance military coordination between Lebanon and the Israel through a track commencing on May 29 at the Pentagon. 

The Lebanese negotiating delegation added that Lebanon “will continue its constructive engagement in negotiations while fully preserving its sovereignty and protecting the security of its people,” noting its “firm commitment to reaching an agreement that restores full Lebanese sovereignty and ensures the security and return of all citizens.”

The delegation concluded its statement by emphasizing that “the utmost priority remains restoring full state authority over all its territories, ensuring border protection and sovereignty preservation.” This is a reference to Hezbollah and the disarmament of the Lebanese resistance front that is a top priority for the Zionist regime and now also for the current government in Beirut. 

The question is, when the last ceasefire was signed on November 27, 2024, again another ceasefire on paper, until March 2, 2026, what did the Lebanese government do to ensure “border protection” and preserve “sovereignty” in Lebanon? 

For 15 months, Hezbollah fully abided by this truce. It did not fire a bullet and withdrew its heavy weapons behind the Litani River as stipulated in the agreement. For 15 months (November 27, 2024 – March 2, 2026) the Israeli regime, according to UNIFIL, violated the ceasefire agreement 15,400 times. Other estimates put the number higher. These included deadly airstrikes on civilians, daily violations of Lebanese airspace. Hundreds of Lebanese killed, with many more injured. The casualty rate was higher than during the two-month Lebanon war that preceded the November 2024 ceasefire. 

Observers argue that terms such as “border protection” and “sovereignty” as the Lebanese delegation in Washington referred to are excellent. But they are only excellent when they are executed in policy. For 15 months, the Israeli regime was occupying Lebanese territory, waging aggression, and the government in Beirut sat back and did nothing. 

No Lebanese government order was given to the Lebanese Armed Forces to respond to and deter 15,400 Israeli violations. Hezbollah adhered to the ceasefire so those who were still blaming Hezbollah had zero substance in their arguments. The reality is that the Lebanese Army does not have the capability or the weapons to retaliate against Israeli aggression. This has always been the root cause of the problem. 

If the Lebanese Army Forces had successfully ended the illegal occupation of South Lebanon, why would it be necessary for Hezbollah to sacrifice its men to defend national sovereignty?

Analysts argue that the government had 15 months to show what it is capable of. It failed, and it failed badly. Until it proves that capability on the battlefield, you cannot tell Hezbollah to disarm and leave Lebanon unable to resist the “Greater Israel project.”

The U.S. State Department had announced in a statement that it hosted direct talks between Lebanon and Israel on May 14 and 15, describing them as “very productive.”

According to the State Department statement, it was decided to extend the “cessation of hostilities,” which began on April 16, for an additional 45 days to “allow the parties to make further field and political progress.”

America’s words of diplomacy are what caught the new Syrian government in the same trap. Dialogue is ongoing, but the IOF’s aggression and expansion of its illegal occupation in south-western Syria is also ongoing. 

The new Syrian government, likewise, did not learn from the experience of the Palestinian Authority. Decades of negotiations, decades of aggression and, today, a record number of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. 

This is why Hezbollah stressed its rejection of the direct negotiation in Washington, affirming that experiences with the Israeli regime have shown its non-compliance with any agreement at all.

Reports indicate that the Lebanese resistance movement “will determine its position on the ceasefire based on field realities, not according to intentions declared in statements.” 

The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc in the Lebanese parliament stressed that the Israeli continued crimes against villages and civilians reveal its exploitation of the negotiations: employing them for the occupying regime’s benefit.

As the Lebanese team in Washington fails to end the aggression, Hezbollah struck IOF soldiers in the Lebanese town of Khiam on Saturday using an attack drone. According to a Hezbollah statement, this was done “in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the enemy’s violation of the ceasefire and the attacks on villages in southern Lebanon that resulted in deaths and several wounded among civilians.”

On Friday, the Lebanese resistance front published 33 statements detailing its retaliatory attacks, the highest number of operations against the IOF since early March.