What are the Objectives behind the Recent Israeli Aggression Against Lebanon?

 

1. An Israeli Attempt to Disrupt Nuclear Negotiations:

It is unlikely that Netanyahu would have launched a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs without prior coordination with the United States—a fact that has been publicly acknowledged.
Israeli officials stated that not only were the Americans informed of the strike, but it was also coordinated with them.
Furthermore, Netanyahu would not dare address President Trump in the same manner he has used with Secretary Blinken and President Biden.
In June 2023, Netanyahu explicitly declared that Israel would not be bound by any agreement concluded between the U.S. administration and Iran and that Israel would take military action to defend itself if necessary.
--- Thus, it is difficult to argue that Israel’s objective was to sabotage U.S.-Iranian negotiations, especially given that the strike was coordinated with the Americans themselves.

2. Shared American-Israeli Objectives-- to achieve the following two main goals:

A. Pressuring the Lebanese State regarding the Disarmament of Hezbollah:
- There is a prevailing official Lebanese consensus to postpone discussions on Hezbollah’s disarmament north of the Litani River, without, at minimum, securing an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory beforehand.

- The recent strike, and likely more to come, seems aimed at empowering those who want Hezbollah disarmed without even an Israeli withdrawal.
This strategy tries to intimidate the Lebanese public, presenting them with a tough choice: "Give up your weapons or face an Israeli war."

B. Using Military Pressure to Strengthen the U.S. Position with Iran:
This operation also reminds Iran that Israel is ready to launch "preemptive" strikes, whether in Lebanon or on Iranian soil.
This threat is meant to encourage Iran to make concessions and speed up signing a new agreement; otherwise, conflict could escalate.