In Jerusalem, officials are not ruling out a halt to strikes deep inside the Land of the Cedars. At the same time, the IDF is expected to continue operating with relative freedom in the Litani River area. For now, even ministers remain confused after a cabinet meeting in which they did not receive an answer from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
From Israel’s perspective, the debate must not be reduced to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The real question is whether any deal will, over time, damage Iran’s ability to break out to a nuclear weapon.
it may be worth considering whether sustained external pressure could weaken Iran’s central authority. Such a process might embolden ethnic and religious minorities to challenge the regime, potentially leading to fragmentation akin to the Libyan case. In such a scenario, Iran could lose its capacity to function as a coherent strategic actor, thereby reducing the scale of the threat it poses.
Despite the failure, the numbers point to a clear trend: out of the Senate’s 47-member Democratic caucus, about 40 senators backed both of Bernie Sanders’ proposals. The votes reflect a significant trend of internal party criticism over US military aid policy toward Israel.
The next meeting is expected to take place as early as next week in Washington, with the sides preparing to map out the main issues, led by borders and civilian matters. Lebanon wants to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure, while Israel has made clear it will continue to act against any target that helps Hezbollah. The negotiations are later expected to step up, with the goal of reaching a broader agreement between the two countries.
