Lebanon Monitors Israeli Elections as Security and Disarmament Debates Intensify
Lebanon watches Israel's elections as U.S. officials stress that neither a Netanyahu nor an Eisenkot victory will alter core security demands regarding Hezbollah's disarmament.
Lebanon is closely monitoring Tuesday's Israeli parliamentary elections, viewing the vote as a decisive factor that will shape the security and political balance for the next phase, according to local media reports.
A U.S. official analyzing the Israeli political landscape told the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan that a victory by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot would not alter core Israeli security principles, chief among them the disarmament of Hezbollah. However, the publication noted that potential differences could emerge regarding negotiation styles, withdrawal conditions, and timelines.
American experts emphasized that Washington believes Lebanese policy should not depend on the election outcome in Israel. Instead, U.S. strategy calls for supporting state authority, curbing Hezbollah's activities, and tying the implementation of security commitments directly to an Israeli military withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities remain apprehensive about a potential military escalation that could draw Hezbollah into a wider conflict under directives from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Political sources told the press that Hezbollah assured Beirut, through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, that it would not open a new support front for Iran. Nevertheless, sources underscored that these assurances remain questionable given Hezbollah's history of broken promises.
Against this backdrop, officials in Beirut reported that Lebanon has been informed of a possible United Nations Security Council session in mid-November to discuss the future of international forces. According to officials, Lebanese diplomatic efforts face strong opposition from both Israel and the United States.
The Lebanese daily Al-Joumhouria reported that during recent talks in the U.S., Israel made it clear that no international force would replace UNIFIL. Instead, Israel demanded that UNIFIL missions be handled through a joint operations room involving the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Lebanese delegation rejected the demand, insisting that Israel implement the framework agreement. The talks concluded without tangible results.
Simultaneously, diplomatic sources warned in discussions with Al-Joumhouria that Lebanon's internal situation has reached a critical juncture, noting that Tehran and Hezbollah strongly oppose any reassessment of the group's weapons.
Reports indicate that Lebanon remains highly vulnerable to an expanded IDF presence in the southern part of the country if a wider regional conflict erupts. Furthermore, Israel and the U.S. have conditioned any halt to military operations and withdrawal from southern Lebanon on the complete dismantling of Hezbollah's military, security, and financial apparatus, alongside consolidating decision-making authority exclusively within the Lebanese state.
