Choueifat strike underscores growing gap between Washington diplomacy and Israel's expanding operations in Lebanon

Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

At a time when Lebanon had come to understand that Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah leaders were not excluded, even in Beirut and its southern suburbs, and that there was a U.S. green light for Israel at this level, Lebanese contacts with Washington had been intensifying in an attempt to halt hostilities across all Lebanese fronts.

However, developments on the ground moved ahead of diplomacy.

Israel carried out its threats and expanded the scope of escalation in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, alongside what it described as a precise strike in the Choueifat area, targeting Ali al-Husseini, head of the missile division in Hezbollah’s Imam Hussein Division.

In parallel, Lebanon continued its political and diplomatic contacts with the United States, through President Joseph Aoun and Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, who maintained open channels with the U.S. State Department in an effort to pressure Israel and prevent it from expanding its operations, not only in Beirut and the southern suburbs but across Lebanese territory.

However, the information Lebanon has received so far does not indicate any change in the Israeli position. On the contrary, there is continued insistence on expanding the scope of strikes, amid growing Lebanese fears of a slide into a more dangerous phase.

The only message Lebanon has received so far is the continued exclusion of Beirut and the southern suburbs from large-scale strikes, with a clear exception: assassinations and targeted strikes against Hezbollah leaders.

What happened in Choueifat reflected this reality. This situation has also shaped the military meetings in Washington.

Continued Israeli escalation and the absence of a consolidated ceasefire would effectively limit the Lebanese military delegation’s agenda to the ceasefire file alone, while other items would remain pending.

In conclusion, informed sources told LBCI that Lebanon implicitly understands that Israel is continuing its escalation with a U.S. green light, and that Washington, for now, does not appear willing to pressure its ally beyond the limits of preventing strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs.