Israel bloodied Hezbollah, but only Lebanon can defeat it

The Israel Defense Forces have achieved remarkable tactical successes in less than two years: decapitating Hezbollah’s leadership, degrading its missile capability, killing and incapacitating thousands of terrorists and conquering its strongholds in Southern Lebanon. And yet, for all these triumphs, Israel has failed to defeat Hezbollah.

The leadership of the terrorist group remains defiant, its arsenal—though diminished—still threatens Israeli cities and strategic sites. Northern Israel bears the scars of devastation, and most damning of all, some 80,000 Israelis spent more than a year as internal refugees because their government could not guarantee their safety. Even now, their fears have not subsided, as Hezbollah’s destruction depends not on the IDF but the Lebanese government.

Isra