Peloni: The chatter about legal actions by the Lebanese govt against Hezbollah should be given the same level of disregard which Lebanon has earned in threatening to disarm Hezbollah for decades, most recently failing to act on the latest iteration of this comedy hour routine missed yet one more deadline imposed on Lebanon to do so. Action rather than words will revolutionize the situation in Lebanon, yet the Lebanese govt has neither the political will nor the military capacity to throw off the yoke of Iranian capture which has held Lebanon helplessly in its grip over the past decades. This, however, should be understood to be a failure of the international community, most recently led by the efforts of US Amb. Tom Barrack, who has consistently claimed Lebanon could and would do what remains impossible for Lebanon to contemplate: acting upon their own sovereign interests while being occupied and controlled by an Iranian proxy force while it still infiltrates its population, its political infrastructure, and most importantly its military capabilities.
Meanwhile Jolani’s Syrian forces are massing on Lebanon’s border under the guise of ‘border security,’ belying the greater interest which the Turkish proxy in Syria would have in extending Turkey’s conquest to next include Lebanon where the Muslim Brotherhood might next focus its unopposed slaughter of non-Sunni Muslim minorities. It was a vital mistake for Washington to support Turkey’s suzerainty over Syria, the implications of which pose to have a serious impact on the future of Lebanon.
As if the irony of having the Lebanese tell the world what they want to hear was not evident enough in the below report, see this latest amusing article about Lebanon now offering peace with Israel, if only Israel would end its campaign against Hezbollah. Actions, not words, is what will determine Lebanon’ fate, yet cheap talk is all that Lebanon has to offer anyone.
Mark Dubowitz | Mar 8, 2026
Reports from Beirut suggest Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar is considering “legal action” against Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem.
For decades Hezbollah, a proxy of the clerical regime in Iran, has operated above the authority of the Lebanese state. The mere discussion of holding its leader legally accountable reflects growing pressure within Lebanon to confront the reality that Hezbollah is dragging the country into Iran’s war.
Escalation on Israel’s Northern Front
The stakes are now unmistakably clear. On March 8, Hezbollah fired a guided missile at Israeli forces operating near the Lebanese border, killing two Israeli soldiers. Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar of the IDF Engineering Corps was killed along with another soldier whose name has not yet been released. The soldiers were ambushed while attempting to recover a disabled military vehicle near the border. These are Israel’s first combat losses since the U.S.-led war against the Tehran regime began on February 28, a conflict Hezbollah formally joined several days later.
The northern front has steadily intensified since then. Hezbollah rocket barrages and missile attacks have repeatedly targeted northern Israel, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians into shelters. At the same time, Iranian missile strikes have killed Israeli civilians elsewhere in the country.
Israel has also struck directly at the Iranian command structure operating inside Lebanon. In a precise strike in Beirut, the IDF eliminated five senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps, the Iranian unit responsible for coordinating Hezbollah’s military operations and integrating the group into Tehran’s regional war strategy. The strike underscored that Hezbollah is not merely a Lebanese militia waging a campaign independently, but an integral part of a broader Iranian military network operating from Lebanese territory.
Israel has begun reinforcing its forces along the Lebanese border and has urged civilians in southern Lebanon to evacuate northward. Yet Jerusalem has so far held back from launching a full-scale ground invasion.
This restraint is deliberate. Israeli leaders are signaling that Lebanon’s government still has a final opportunity to act. Israel has made clear that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized this point in remarks directed toward Beirut, warning that Israel would not tolerate continued fire from Lebanese soil and urging the Lebanese authorities to take action before Israel is forced to act more decisively.
Lebanese Leaders No Longer Ignoring Hezbollah’s Primary Loyalty to Iran
Lebanese officials are increasingly aware that Hezbollah’s entry into the war was not a Lebanese national decision, but one made in service of Tehran. That reality is becoming harder for Lebanon’s political class to ignore.
Other developments suggest that Hezbollah’s strategic position may also be under pressure. Iranian diplomats have reportedly begun leaving Beirut amid fears of Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, Syrian security forces have tightened control along parts of the Syria-Lebanon border, complicating the traditional smuggling routes that have long sustained Hezbollah’s military supply lines. These shifts do not yet fundamentally weaken Hezbollah, but they indicate the organization’s operating environment may be changing.
The core challenge remains the same. For Lebanon to reclaim its sovereignty, the Lebanese state must ultimately assert a monopoly over the use of force within its borders. That means confronting Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and disarming the organization that has functioned as Iran’s most powerful regional proxy. The discussion of potential legal action against Hezbollah’s leader is therefore notable, but remains only a first step.
Lebanon Must Act — Or Israel Will
Lebanon therefore faces a defining choice. Its leaders can begin reasserting sovereignty by confronting Hezbollah’s leadership and dismantling the terrorist group’s independent military power, as they are legally required to do by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the November 2024 ceasefire agreement. Or they can allow Iran’s proxy to continue dictating Lebanon’s fate and risk plunging the country into another destructive war with Israel. If Hezbollah’s attacks continue and Lebanon proves unwilling or unable to act, Israel will likely conclude that it must impose security itself, even if doing so requires a ground operation reminiscent of earlier Lebanon campaigns.
Mark Dubowitz is the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Mark and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Mark on X @mdubowitz. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
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