The mid-fall of 2024 brought an unexpected turn in middle-eastern politics - Israel and Lebanon agreed to stop fighting (a deal that looks just like the one from 2006)
The Israeli Defense Forces got what they wanted: their two-month border operation hit Hezbollah hard - destroying half its missiles cutting supply lines and ruining underground paths. Yet about 60‚000 israeli citizens still cant return to their border homes
Benjamin Netanyahuʼs political win isnt that clear: his coalition voters dont like the deal (only 20% support it) and critics say its not enough. Benny Gantz from National Unity party thinks; “pulling back now will let Hezbollah recover“ while ex-prime minister Naftali Bennett points out that the group still has lots of rockets
The deal says:
- Hezbollah must go north of Litani river
- Israel stops flying over Lebanon
- UN peacekeepers will watch both sides
- US-French team checks if anyone breaks rules
For Hezbollah and Iran its win means staying alive - both politically and military-wise. Even though they lost lots of people and made 1 million Lebanese leave homes theyʼll present it as some kind of victory
US president Joe Biden says his team did great job with this deal but president-elect Trump might get more credit. Mike Waltz (Trumps future security adviser) thinks: “everyone came to talk because of trumpʼs big win - it shows world chaos wont work anymore“