JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A senior Lebanese official has urged Israel to give Lebanon’s government time and political space to weaken Hezbollah, saying the country may be facing a rare opportunity to move toward peace with Israel.
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“Israel must help us. Israel must give us oxygen,” the official told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington. “The Lebanese people today dream of peace with Israel.”
The official, who said he was also conveying the views of other senior Lebanese figures, described the current moment as potentially “the last chance” for a fundamental change in relations between the two countries. He said the killing of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel created new hopes inside Lebanon that the Iran-backed organization could eventually be weakened. “Hezbollah is Lebanon’s cancer,” he said. “But for this to succeed, we need your help.”
The official acknowledged that Lebanon’s efforts to remove Hezbollah weapons and military infrastructure from several villages have so far produced only limited results. He said the Lebanese Armed Forces remain too weak to confront Hezbollah directly.
“It is clear to us that only you can do the job, but do it properly,” he said, while urging Israel to commit to a full withdrawal from Lebanon once Hezbollah has been disarmed.
The Lebanese official’s comments came as former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale offered a similarly optimistic assessment of the potential for change in Beirut. In an exclusive interview with Israeli journalist Roi Kais after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Hale said he came away with the impression that Aoun is prepared to go “all the way” in efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Hale also said Aoun “dreams” of establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, describing the Lebanese president as a potential partner despite the considerable obstacles facing the process. Israeli public broadcaster Kan framed the interview as an effort to persuade Israelis that there may be “a partner on the other side of the border,” even if significant doubts remain.
The assessment comes as Aoun faces pressure from both Israel and Hezbollah. He has pledged to restore the Lebanese state’s monopoly over weapons, while Hezbollah has resisted demands that it surrender its arsenal. Aoun said in June that a U.S.-brokered framework agreement with Israel was a first step toward restoring Lebanon’s full sovereignty and bringing Israeli-held territory back under Lebanese control.
But implementation has stalled. The New York Times reported last month that Lebanon’s government had made some progress in reducing Hezbollah’s influence over state institutions, but remained largely incapable of forcibly disarming the group. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has rejected disarmament while Israeli forces remain in Lebanese territory.
The Lebanese official told Ynet that Israel’s military campaign could ultimately strengthen Hezbollah by weakening the very government attempting to challenge it. “Hezbollah fires drones at IDF forces in order to draw a disproportionate Israeli response, to blow everything up,” he said. “Israel needs to be more restrained in its use of force.”
He specifically urged Israel not to strike Beirut, saying attacks on the capital would politically weaken Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
The comments come amid continued violence despite the U.S.-brokered framework. Israeli forces have continued striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has carried out attacks against Israeli troops. Israeli officials say the military operations are necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities.
Recent Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people in southern Lebanon. Reuters reported that seven people were killed in strikes on Sept. 6, while at least 12 were killed in strikes on Kfar Rumman the following day. Israel said the attacks targeted Hezbollah personnel and weapons activity.
The Lebanese government, meanwhile, has been trying to expand the army’s presence in the south. Aoun and Salam met Wednesday to discuss the continuing Israeli attacks and measures to reinforce Lebanese Army forces in areas outside Israeli control.
The Lebanese official said Israel must reassure Lebanese citizens that it does not intend to permanently occupy parts of their country. “Lebanon is not Gaza,” he said. “Lebanon is a sovereign country with pride.”
He argued that an Israeli commitment to withdraw after Hezbollah’s disarmament could strengthen Aoun’s government and make it politically easier for Lebanon to confront the group. The official also dismissed the idea that hostility toward Israel is deeply rooted among Lebanese society, saying that while Israeli actions in the past, including the 1996 Qana massacre, generated anger, attitudes have changed.
Asked whether Israelis could one day travel freely to Beirut, he replied: “Why not?”
“After Hezbollah is disarmed, it is absolutely possible,” he added. “It will take a few years, but it is achievable.”
Hale’s assessment reinforces the central question facing Israel and Lebanon: whether pressure on Hezbollah should be combined with measures designed to strengthen Aoun’s government, or whether continued military pressure is necessary until the group is fully disarmed.
For now, the diplomatic opening remains fragile. Hezbollah continues to oppose surrendering its weapons, Israel says it will not withdraw fully without guarantees that the group cannot rearm, and Lebanon’s military lacks the strength to impose the state’s authority throughout Hezbollah’s strongholds. Yet both the Lebanese official and Hale argue that, for the first time in years, Beirut may offer Israel a potential partner for a longer-term settlement.
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