Israeli newspaper: The agreement paves the way for turning southern Lebanon into a “second Gaza”

The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” considered that the terms of the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in Washington paves the way for transforming southern Lebanon into what it described as “Gaza 2,” considering that the agreement allows Israel to maintain its military presence in the south without a clear time limit, while continuing to carry out military raids.

The newspaper said, in a lengthy analysis, that the Israeli withdrawal remains conditional on the Lebanese army’s complete control over the region and the disarmament of Hezbollah, considering that these two conditions have not been met yet, which allows Israel, according to its vision, to remain in the region for an indefinite period.

She added that Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon will remain vulnerable to mutual attacks, unlike the situation in the Gaza Strip, where she describes military operations as currently being conducted unilaterally.

The newspaper saw that the agreement reflects a discrepancy within the US administration, noting that there is a difference between the path led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which excluded Iran and Hezbollah from the agreement, and the understandings that were previously talked about in Switzerland, which included a broader role for regional parties.

She considered that the agreement faces major challenges in implementation, citing the Taif Agreement, Resolution 1701, and the 2024 ceasefire agreement, all of which stipulated that weapons be restricted to the Lebanese state, but she said that this goal has not been achieved so far.

The newspaper quoted a source familiar with the political situation in Lebanon as saying that any Israeli withdrawal will be considered by Hezbollah as a victory that justifies keeping its weapons, while the continued Israeli presence in the south will be used to justify continuing the fighting, considering that the agreement will not solve this dilemma.

At the conclusion of its analysis, Haaretz believed that the framework agreement may not achieve the stipulated results in the short term, but it charts a long-term path that may lead, in its estimation, to weakening Iranian influence in Lebanon and creating conditions for a future settlement.