US President Donald Trump said a cargo ship called the TOUSKA tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and was intercepted. He said US Marines boarded the vessel and it is now being inspected to determine what it was carrying.
Despite the IDF presence in southern Lebanon, Israel is avoiding strikes even when a threat is identified. Hezbollah continues to rebuild undisturbed, while restrictions imposed by Washington are narrowing Israel’s room for maneuver. If things remain as they are, the situation could become even worse than it was on the eve of Operation Roaring Lion.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun may be willing to reach an agreement with Israel, but not for the reasons Israelis assume. Like other actors in the region, he understands that Israel cannot be defeated on the battlefield. But on the diplomatic front, Israel suffers from inconsistency and often ends up accepting US dictations. If Israel wants real peace, it must insist on addressing the roots of the conflict: Hezbollah's weapons, reforming the Lebanese army and dismantling the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
The US president remained optimistic despite the latest developments: “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal. It will happen, one way or another.”
Although nearly eight decades have passed since that war in 1948, there is still much to learn from it, not only as a glorious and heroic chapter in the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, but also, and above all, as a source of lessons and insights worth remembering and revisiting, which remain relevant today.
