Dear MEPIN Readers,
As Israel intensifies its campaign against Hezbollah , striking targets in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley while advancing across the Yellow Line, Jerusalem appears to be racing against the clock. Israeli leaders fear that a potential U.S.-Iran agreement could impose a permanent ceasefire that would severely limit Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon.
At the same time, Iran is escalating tensions across the region, targeting commercial shipping and laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz even as negotiations continue. These moves are part of a broader Iranian strategy: prolong the diplomatic process while removing ballistic missiles and proxy support from the negotiating agenda, shifting the focus almost exclusively to enriched uranium rather than broader restrictions on enrichment and weaponization.
In my interview this morning on ILTV with Col. Jacques Neriah — former Deputy Head for Assessment in Israeli Military Intelligence (Aman) and Special Analyst for the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs — we discuss the rapidly evolving situation in Lebanon, Iran’s regional strategy, and the ongoing negotiations.