While the world fixates on Donald Trump’s audacious Gaza proposal, a powder keg quietly ticks away on Israel’s northern border. The headlines may have shifted, but Hezbollah hasn’t forgotten its mission – and neither should we.
As the current Lebanon ceasefire approaches its February 18th expiration date, we’re watching a familiar dance play out. Israel requests a 10-day extension, Lebanon balks, and meanwhile, high-ranking Iranian officials are already in Lebanon, helping Hezbollah rebuild from the ashes of their devastated infrastructure. If this sounds like a recipe for disaster, that’s because it is.
Let’s cut through the diplomatic niceties and face facts: Hezbollah’s goal isn’t negotiable. It isn’t flexible. It isn’t subject to compromise. Their objective, plain and simple, is Israel’s destruction. Period. And they’ve proven time and again that they’ll pursue this goal regardless of the cost to themselves or the Lebanese people they live among.
Recent intelligence paints a stark picture. Despite having their leadership decimated, their strongholds reduced to rubble, and their operational capabilities severely crippled, Hezbollah is scrambling to rebuild. Their missile manufacturing facilities are destroyed, their recruitment at rock bottom, their supply lines from Syria in tatters – and yet they persist. Why? Because destroying Israel isn’t their hobby; it’s their reason for being.
The current situation in Lebanon perfectly illustrates this reality. The Lebanese army’s half-hearted attempts to secure the south and clear weapons caches aren’t just insufficient; they’re a preview of the security vacuum that will inevitably be filled by a reconstituted Hezbollah. While Iran may be struggling to transfer weapons, they’re succeeding in funneling money to their proxy. Every day we wait, every ceasefire we extend, every diplomatic solution we pursue gives them another chance to rebuild, rearm, and return to their singular mission.
Sure, the immediate threat level has dropped. The IDF confirms Hezbollah can’t currently launch a significant combined attack or raid Galilee settlements. They might manage to lob a few rockets into central Israel, but their capacity for major operations is crushed – for now.
But here’s the cold, hard truth that Western diplomats seem unable to grasp: You cannot negotiate a lasting peace with an entity whose core purpose is your destruction. It’s not a matter of finding the right diplomatic formula or offering the right incentives. People who want to destroy Israel will never make a diplomatic agreement that permanently prevents them from attempting that goal. It’s not just about territory or resources or political grievances – it’s about our very existence.
The Western playbook of negotiation and compromise fails spectacularly when dealing with an enemy that prioritizes your destruction over their own prosperity. You can’t bargain with someone who views their own suffering as a worthy price for your elimination.
This isn’t about politics or diplomacy anymore. It’s about survival. The path to genuine peace doesn’t run through Geneva or Washington. It runs through the total defeat of Hamas and Hezbollah. Not a ceasefire. Not a peace deal. Total victory.
The choice before us isn’t between war and peace – it’s between decisive action now or a greater conflict later. Hezbollah has shown us who they are. It’s time we believe them and act accordingly.
The window of opportunity won’t stay open forever. While Hezbollah struggles to rearm, while their capabilities are at their lowest, we have a chance to ensure lasting security. But that chance requires the courage to see this through to its necessary conclusion.
Anything less than total victory isn’t just short-sighted – it’s suicidal.
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki is the Executive Director of Israel365 Action
