Israel's military escalation against Hezbollah — an Iran-backed terrorist organization based in Lebanon that recently reignited conflict with Israel in solidarity with Iran — has created a rare opening for Lebanese sovereignty. The Lebanese government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has taken unprecedented steps, formally stripping Hezbollah of its long-standing "right of resistance" designation and voting to disband its military wing — the first Lebanese government in 30 years to do so. However, these decisions remain unenforceable: the Lebanese Armed Forces have declined to confront Hezbollah directly, the Iranian ambassador declared persona non grata remains in Beirut, and Hezbollah has responded with open defiance.

Iran is now attempting to bundle a Lebanon ceasefire into its own nuclear negotiations — a move rejected by both Israel and, notably, the Lebanese government itself, which is insisting on direct bilateral talks with Israel rather than being negotiated over by Tehran. This represents a generational opportunity: Israeli military operations have severely degraded Hezbollah, while U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have exposed the Islamic Republic's vulnerabilities and rattled its regional proxy network. The central question now is whether Lebanon can translate its political declarations into action — and whether the U.S. can help it do so — before a ceasefire allows Hezbollah to regroup and rearm, as it has done repeatedly since 2006.

To discuss these developments with journalists, FDD hosts three of its scholars: Jonathan Schanzer, executive director and Middle East scholar, David Daoud, senior fellow focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah, and Hussain Abdul-Hussain, research fellow on Israel and Gulf Arab states. The discussion is moderated by Joe Dougherty, FDD’s senior director of Communications.