In a striking criticism issued by a newspaper traditionally known for its pro-Israel positions, the British newspaper “The Telegraph” considered that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was squandering the strategic gains achieved by Israel in Lebanon, warning that the ongoing military operations undermine the Lebanese state and weaken the chances of reaching a long-term solution with Hezbollah.
According to an article by journalist and analyst specializing in foreign affairs, David Blair, published by the Telegraph newspaper, Netanyahu is “sabotaging his own success,” by running a military campaign that contradicts the political goals that Israel has sought to achieve over the past years.
Blair pointed out that during the year 2024, Israel achieved what he described as the “hardest blow” to Hezbollah, through the operation of detonating pagers and assassinating the party’s former Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, and a number of senior leaders, which, according to the article, led to a change in the internal balance of power in Lebanon.
The writer believed that these developments opened the door to the election of President Joseph Aoun in January 2025, contrary to Hezbollah’s wishes. They also contributed to launching an American path aimed at addressing the party’s weapons issue, considering that these transformations constituted a historic opportunity to weaken Iranian influence in Lebanon and strengthen the authority of the Lebanese state.
However, the article considers that this opportunity has begun to dissipate with the developments of recent months. According to The Telegraph, the current round of confrontation broke out after an Iranian decision to respond to the American-Israeli military operation led by US President Donald Trump on February 28, which the article says resulted in the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Blair points out that the Israeli military operations since the beginning of March led, according to what the article reported, to the killing of about 3,400 Lebanese and 28 Israelis, and were accompanied by the control of Beaufort Castle and large areas in southern Lebanon, in addition to the destruction of villages and the displacement of about 1.2 million people from their homes.
The writer considers that these measures directly weaken the authority that Israel was supposed to strengthen inside Lebanon, that is, the authority of the state and its official institutions, and make it difficult for President Joseph Aoun to implement any plan aimed at extending state authority over the entire Lebanese territory.
Blair used the ideas of the famous military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, considering that the current campaign would have “made him cry,” in reference to the contradiction between military achievements and political results achieved on the ground.
The article concludes that the Israeli operations during the year 2026 make the mission of the Lebanese state more complex, and return Israel to the problems it faced during its previous periods of occupation of parts of Lebanon, instead of investing in the political transformations that emerged after the weakening of Hezbollah.
This criticism issued by a conservative British newspaper, traditionally close to Israeli positions, reflects the extent of the growing controversy, even within Western circles that support Israel, about whether the current military operations are achieving long-term strategic goals or whether they are depriving Tel Aviv of a rare opportunity to redraw the Lebanese scene in a way that serves its security and political interests.
