Lebanon has joined in the confusion created by the United States administration in the conflict with Iran, following President Donald Trump's announcement of a three-week extension of the ceasefire that came into effect between Tel Aviv and Beirut on the 17th.
The Head of State communicated the news through social media - as usual - after a meeting between an Israeli delegation and a Lebanese one in Washington.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, explained that the extension "allows everyone time to continue working towards a lasting peace between the two countries."
The words from the U.S. clashed once again with the reality on the ground, where the confrontation between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, the Shiite party led by Naim Qassem - who did not participate in the negotiations - has only been partially mitigated.
The extremely precarious nature of the ceasefire in Lebanon was once again evident on Thursday when Israelis killed three more people in the southern region of Nabatiyeh and injured two others, including a child.
Hezbollah, on the other hand, launched a rocket attack on the Israeli town of Shtula, the first time they targeted Israeli territory since the truce began on the 14th, managing to injure an enemy soldier with a drone.
Trump also mentioned his intention to host the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, at the White House in the near future, although he did not specify as previously indicated that both leaders would meet or speak directly by phone, something the Lebanese leader has publicly rejected.
Despite the ceasefire extension, the positions of both sides remain as divergent as those between the U.S. and Iran. For Beirut, the cessation of hostilities should only be a first step towards the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying a strip along the border, something Tel Aviv refuses.
"Emphasizing repeatedly the Israeli withdrawal is falling into the trap of focusing on the wrong place. If we continue down that path, we are doomed to fail," said the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, who participated in Thursday's bilateral dialogue.
A car loaded with personal belongings drives through the coastal city of Sidon.
For Tel Aviv, the focus should be on what Leiter described as the "root of the problem," which for them is Hezbollah, demanding that the Lebanese army disarm them.
Experts have repeatedly stated that such a hypothesis is impossible given the limited capabilities of the Lebanese armed forces. Analysts point out that even the Israeli army, the most powerful in the Middle East, has not achieved this.
Tel Aviv also aims to achieve a peace treaty - both countries technically remain at war since the creation of Israel in 1948 - that includes Lebanon in the list of regional states that have normalized relations with Israel.
The Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, told The Washington Post that his administration "cannot sign any agreement that does not include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, we cannot accept the prevention of the return of displaced Lebanese and the inability to rebuild destroyed towns and cities."
Ironically, this interlude has reversed the dynamics in Lebanon from the previous ceasefire established in November 2024 when Tel Aviv's forces continued to bomb Lebanese territory without Hezbollah responding. Local authorities estimated that during those months until the new open conflict erupted, Israel ended the lives of several hundred people.
Now, the paramilitary group has made it clear that they will respond to any military action or advancement by the Israelis.
According to the military specialist from the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Avi Ashkenazi, the situation in 2025 "has been reversed," and now it is Israel's army facing "restrictions" in responding to rockets or drones from the Lebanese irregulars.
"Decisions on the attack policy in Lebanon are not made by the Israeli government but by the White House in Washington," the expert wrote on Friday.
A military source cited by another Israeli channel was more explicit: "Hezbollah has returned to the equation of the 90s and now it will be an eye for an eye."
During his appearance in Washington, Trump reiterated that the ceasefire does not prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon under the pretext of "self-defense."
However, the president added immediately, "It will have to defend itself if shot at, but it will do so carefully and precisely."
A tone very different from the almost apocalyptic rhetoric used hours earlier by the Defense Minister of Tel Aviv, Israel Katz, who stated that their armed forces are only waiting for the "green light" from Washington to resume war against Iran and - consequently - on the Lebanese front.
"The army is ready, and the targets have been marked. We will completely eliminate the Jamenei dynasty and return Iran to the Dark Ages, the Stone Age, by destroying key energy and electricity facilities and dismantling its national economic infrastructure. This time, when the attack resumes, it will be different and lethal," the Israeli representative asserted.
Since November 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced a detention order issued by the International Criminal Court precisely for sponsoring attacks against civilian facilities as described by Katz, actions considered war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Beirut also faces an increasingly polarized internal scenario due to Hezbollah's radical opposition to direct negotiations with Israel. The Shiite group has mobilized its followers on several occasions, reviving the specter of escalating tensions that the country experienced after the 2006 war, which led to a brief fratricidal confrontation in 2008, where militants from the group then led by Hasan Nasrala took control of Beirut after violent street battles in the capital.
In this regard, Saudi Arabia sent Prince Yazid bin Farhan, an advisor to the Foreign Minister, to the main Lebanese town this week to mediate between central authorities and the Shiite community, especially with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, who serves as the political interlocutor of Hezbollah even though he leads another party.