‘No less hard-line than Netanyahu’: Lebanon braces for Eisenkot as talks stall

Israel's political uncertainty and Gadi Eisenkot's efforts to form a new government have put negotiations with Lebanon on hold, with Beirut waiting to see whether a change in leadership in Jerusalem could alter Israel's demands. The diplomatic stalemate follows seven rounds of formal talks and a U.S.-hosted military meeting in Tampa, Florida, in October that ended without a breakthrough. As the Arab world watches developments in Israel, Lebanon has turned its attention to the approaching end of the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the country's south.

A report published over the weekend by the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat raised questions about whether Eisenkot, if he succeeds in forming a government, would adopt a different approach to negotiations or maintain the conditions imposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The possibility of a new Israeli government has introduced further uncertainty into talks that were already struggling to make progress. A Lebanese ministerial source told the newspaper that Eisenkot's position on negotiations with Lebanon remains unknown.

Contacts with U.S. officials are continuing, the source said, but have not produced a date for another round of talks. A former Lebanese lawmaker, Fares Souaid, suggested that Eisenkot's military background could make him even more uncompromising than Netanyahu. "He is no less hard-line than Netanyahu," Souaid said, warning that a change of government in Israel should not be mistaken for greater willingness to make concessions. With negotiations stalled, Lebanese officials have increasingly focused on the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, whose current mandate expires on December 31, 2026.

The force is scheduled to begin a phased withdrawal after that date, raising concerns in Beirut about a possible security vacuum in southern Lebanon. Lebanese leaders are seeking either an extension of the mission or an alternative international presence operating under United Nations authority. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Saturday that extending UNIFIL's mission remains his country's preferred option, although Beirut would consider an alternative arrangement under UN auspices.

The goal, he said, is to prevent a security vacuum after the peacekeepers begin their withdrawal. Aoun stressed that UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, must remain the foundation for any future international security arrangement in southern Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed those concerns Saturday, calling for a continued international presence in the south with a mandate from the Security Council to help maintain stability and support the implementation of Resolution 1701.

He said Lebanon was prepared to consult with Security Council members and UN officials on a new resolution that would preserve an international role in the region. Salam also reiterated Lebanon's demands for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, an end to Israeli attacks and the extension of Lebanese state authority throughout the country. Growing pressure on Hezbollah as Lebanese authorities seize weapons Meanwhile, Hezbollah is facing mounting pressure at home as Lebanon's government seeks to establish a state monopoly on weapons and distance itself from foreign interference, particularly by Iran.

Several incidents in recent days have intensified scrutiny of the terrorist organization, raising questions about its continued military activities despite government efforts to curb its influence. On Friday, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced that military intelligence had conducted an operation targeting suspected weapons trafficking in Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs. Soldiers raided a weapons warehouse in the Msharafieh neighborhood, seizing a large quantity of weapons and ammunition.

One Lebanese citizen was arrested, and an investigation was launched. Lebanon's Al Jadeed television channel reported that the warehouse belonged to two individuals involved in arms trafficking. The army's announcement did not identify the weapons as belonging to Hezbollah or link the operation directly to the organization. Nevertheless, the raid was notable because it took place in an area long associated with Hezbollah's political and military infrastructure.

The operation followed reports last week that five suspected Hezbollah members had been arrested in northern Lebanon, in the mountainous area between Batroun and Bsharri, a region not generally regarded as being under the organization's control. Lebanese and Arab media reported that the five were suspected of conducting reconnaissance and had attempted to tear up documents when security forces approached. The arrests drew particular attention because the documents were initially believed to include maps of the surrounding area.

Lebanese security sources later said investigators had not yet established whether the papers contained security maps or detailed operational plans. The suspects' activities and the circumstances surrounding their presence in the area remained under investigation. The Qatari-owned newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the arrests had brought Lebanon's internal disputes over Hezbollah's weapons back into focus, intensifying political concerns about potential security operations by the group inside Lebanese territory.

Salam was also reported to be closely following developments in the investigation. The incidents follow the controversy surrounding the seizure of a truck carrying explosives in the Dahr al-Baidar area in October. Hezbollah acknowledged at the time that the shipment belonged to the organization, despite the Lebanese government's prohibition of its military activities earlier this year. The episode further strained relations between Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities, who have been attempting to assert control over armed groups operating outside the state.

Hezbollah, however, continues to reject disarmament and is demanding that Lebanon abandon direct negotiations with Israel. In a speech Wednesday marking the organization's Martyrs' Day, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Lebanon's priorities should be ending Israeli attacks, securing an Israeli withdrawal, allowing displaced residents to return to southern Lebanon and beginning reconstruction. Qassem criticized the framework agreement being discussed with Israel, arguing that it required Lebanon to make concessions without receiving anything in return.

He said Hezbollah did not oppose indirect negotiations with Israel but urged the Lebanese government to withdraw from the existing framework, claiming Israel had made no meaningful concessions. Qassem's recent speeches have also reflected the organization's efforts to defend its legitimacy amid growing domestic opposition. On Wednesday, he framed Hezbollah's position as a choice between surrender and continued resistance, insisting that the group must retain the ability to fight when necessary.

He also called on the Lebanese state to equip its army with the resources needed to confront Israel. The Hezbollah leader accused foreign governments of pressuring Beirut to disarm the organization while ignoring what he described as Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory. He argued that the effort to place all weapons under state control was primarily an Israeli-American demand rather than a response to Lebanon's domestic security needs.

His remarks underscored the continuing confrontation between Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities over who should hold military power, even as the country's future security arrangements remain unresolved.