Analysis of Israeli-Lebanese Tensions

All right, Noor, our day is live in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

So, Noor, you've read this agreement.

Walk us through what stands out to you.

How is all this going to work?

Well, it's unclear how it will work.

But what is clear is that Israel sees this as a historic political insecurity achievement,

as the Israeli minister of defense just stated a few minutes ago.

So, what stands out is that all the benchmarks, all the milestones that have been set out

were for the Lebanese government.

There is no time frame for withdrawal, nothing that Israel has to do or prove that it is

willing to do, no end in sight to the displacement of tens of thousands of Lebanese from southern

Lebanon, no talk about the ongoing demolition of Lebanese villages.

So, all in all, it allows the Israeli army to stay indefinitely in southern Lebanon.

And this is exactly what we heard from the Israeli minister of defense, who said that

he's instructed the army to prepare for a long period of stay, indefinite almost, in

southern Lebanon, in what Israel is terming a buffer zone.

OK, so there's a lot of burden being placed on the Lebanese government here.

The U.S. vice president, though, says that Israel doesn't have any territorial ambitions

in southern Lebanon.

But I wonder if that lines up with what the Israeli government is saying as well.

Not exactly.

The Israeli minister of defense, who also holds another portfolio within the ministry

of defense, Betzalel Smotrich, now he has said that the only way, the only acceptable

outcome for this war is for territorial gain for Israel, and that that is the only language

understood in the region.

The Israeli prime minister himself referred to Israel's borders with its neighbors as

the old borders.

So Israel continues to flirt with that idea, to talk about expansion without actually declaring

it as official policy, because of expected backlash internationally, but certainly the

fact that entire villages have disappeared has only encouraged voices within the government

and outside the government.

Settler groups already have blueprints for planned settlements inside southern Lebanon.

So that dynamic continues to play out domestically in Israel.

And with elections coming up, it's difficult to see how that would be challenged by anybody,

especially in Netanyahu's right-wing camp.

Al Jazeera's Noor Adai reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Noor.

It's important context.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.