The ongoing power struggle between Iran and Israel is prominently playing out in Lebanon. Both countries use Lebanon to further their strategic interests in the Middle East.
On a recent Sunday, Hezbollah, an armed group in Lebanon backed by Iran, initiated an attack on Israel. This led to an Israeli response targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, which strongly support Hezbollah. Following this, Iran acted on its threat to strike northern Israel in retaliation.
Experts believe that the leadership decisions in Israel and Iran have drawn a definitive line through Beirut, escalating tensions and risking the onset of a full-scale war. Lina Khatib from the Chatham House research institute noted that Lebanon is trapped between Iranian and Israeli interests, with neither side showing a willingness to compromise.
Amid these tensions, President Trump aimed to end the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, but Tehran’s leaders demand that any peace must also address issues in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, dismissed this connection, preferring to maintain military pressure on Hezbollah.
Netanyahu expressed that the attempts by Iran and Hezbollah to set new terms by retaliating against Israel were “unbearable and unacceptable.”
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