Israel isn't leaving Lebanon and Syria may be next

Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanon, alongside Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, indicates a conflict that is expanding rather than ending, with renewed Israeli activity also reported in Syria. In the Israeli-led Lebanese campaign, Israeli forces reportedly struck Abidin in Syria’s Daraa Governorate and conducted flights over Daraa and Quneitra near the Golan Heights, according to regional sources. The article notes that Israel, the United States, and Lebanon signed a trilateral framework in Washington, presented by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a step toward Lebanese sovereignty and Hezbollah’s dismantling. However, the framework is described as a set of principles, not a final treaty, with withdrawal linked to elimination of the threat to Israel. The piece cites Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance that Israel will not leave southern Lebanon while Hezbollah remains armed, creating a reinforcing cycle between both sides.