Middle East expert Dr. Edy Cohen explained today (Sunday) on Channel 14’s Israel This Morning that Hezbollah views the agreement between Israel and Lebanon as a “surrender deal” directed against them, primarily because it doesn’t require Israel to withdraw but instead places the dismantling of terrorist militias at its center. “They’re going crazy and describing the deal as a Lebanese-Israeli agreement against Hezbollah and as a surrender deal, and that’s actually true,” Cohen said.
1+Cohen explained that the agreement doesn’t set a withdrawal timeline for Israel and doesn’t include commitments that genuinely restrict it. “There’s nothing there that obligates Israel—quite the opposite,” he said, adding that the deal includes the gradual disarmament of terrorist militias, starting with Hezbollah.
Reserve Lt. Col. Amit Yagur also addressed the significance of the Lebanese reactions, arguing they illustrate the advantages Israel sees in the agreement. “It’s pretty clear that Lebanon probably won’t be able to meet the required conditions in the short timeframe. The agreement between the states is a signal to the entire region, and it’s enough to see the reactions on the other side to understand this doesn’t sit well with them—and you can understand why.”
1+The comments come against the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement last night, in which he said the agreement reflects a significant shift. “The Lebanese government is saying for the first time to Iran and Hezbollah, get out of here. Iran and Hezbollah tried to force Israel to withdraw from the security zone—and they failed.”