Senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs tells Galei Tzahal that Beirut is already in the midst of an internal confrontation between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah, and that disarming the organization is not expected in the near term.
Dr. Jacques Neria, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs (JCFA) and a Lebanon expert, told Galei Tzahal (Israel Army Radio) that Lebanon is already in the midst of an internal struggle between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah. Neria assessed that Hezbollah may try to undermine the government's stability, step up fighting against the IDF, and deepen the rift between Israel and the United States in order to preserve its power.
He emphasized that the Lebanese army struggles to confront Hezbollah due to the penetration of operatives aligned with the organization into its ranks. Neria argued that the most effective way to weaken Hezbollah is to target its financial infrastructure, particularly the Al-Qard al-Hasan association — which he described as the group's main funding mechanism. He called on Israel to act quietly, avoid public statements and a "bear hug" toward the Lebanese government, and continue operational measures in coordination with the US.
The assessment comes as the US-brokered tripartite agreement between Washington, Israel, and Lebanon conditions any Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon on verified Hezbollah disarmament — a process Neria suggests is unlikely to be completed quickly.
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