Barbara Leaf, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in the Biden administration and former U.S. Ambassador to Abu Dhabi, told Annahar in an exclusive interview from Washington that Israel cannot disarm Hezbollah through purely military action, emphasizing that "disarmament is also a political task."

"Tragically. First and foremost for the Lebanese people, but also for the Israeli people. It seems to me that Netanyahu's government lacks a clear strategic plan for the military's actions. By that, I mean there is no viable, final political goal that both enhances Israel's security from an Israeli perspective and is realistically achievable."

"In a strange way, what we see in Lebanon mirrors the situation between the U.S. administration and Iran: engaging in a military conflict with military objectives, but without sufficient clarity on the final political outcome, and with strategic goals that are either unclear, unachievable, or both. In Israel, as a democracy with many voices expressing opinions, concern is growing. Some military personnel, including former officers, have expressed that disarming Hezbollah is beyond the capabilities of the Israeli army. I personally agree with this assessment, because ultimately, disarmament is as much a political task as a military one, and logically, it is closer to being a political mission."

Therefore, the Israeli army cannot achieve this alone. What the army can do—what armies generally excel at, along with air forces—is destroy weapons depots, infrastructure, and control territory. But to what end is the land being controlled? Israel has had a very unfortunate history of occupying southern Lebanon, and I hope it does not repeat that, because military occupation will not achieve its goals, whatever they may be. Moreover, such an approach would not only cause significant humanitarian suffering but also pose a real risk of completely destabilizing Lebanon, creating a security nightmare for many countries, not just Israel.

"What I can say is that this war is likely to continue as long as the conflict with Iran persists. Part of the reason is the current lack of significant interest from the United States in Lebanon. The U.S. focus, both at the leadership level and at lower levels, is entirely on Iran. When the conflict with Iran ends, this may create an opportunity for the U.S. administration to redirect its attention to Lebanon—and I hope that indeed happens."

"Actually, that is happening. I don’t know if it is an intentional approach, but it is occurring on the ground because the United States is not focused at all on what is happening in Lebanon. Whether intentional or not, that is the effect we are seeing."