New U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said last week that Israel does not need an American green light to defend itself, while stressing the importance for regional security of disarming the Hezbollah terrorist group.
The Beirut-born Christian Lebanese-American businessman told Haaretz on Nov. 27 that Israel “does not require the permission of the United States” and “will take whatever measures it deems necessary to protect its citizens.”
Issa added that the Trump administration is maintaining full communication with the Lebanese government and is “strongly urging it to implement its own historic decision to disarm Hezbollah,” referring to Beirut’s acceptance in September of an army plan to disarm the Iranian proxy and bring all weapons under state control.
The American commitment to this decision “is essential for restoring the authority of the Lebanese state and safeguarding the country’s future,” the envoy said.
“Disarming Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in Lebanon, as well as ending Iran’s proxy activities more broadly, is a key step to ensuring peace in Lebanon and across the region,” he continued.
Issa’s comments came four days after the Israeli Air Force killed the Hezbollah terrorist group’s “chief of staff,” Haytham Ali Tabatabai, in a targeted strike in Beirut. He was the terrorist group’s No. 2 leader after Secretary-General Naim Qassem.
Issa took up the post on Nov. 17. His predecessor, Lisa Johnson, served as Washington’s ambassador in the Lebanese capital from Jan. 11, 2024, until Sept. 28 of this year, with Keith Hanigan filling the gap as chargé d’affaires ad interim.
Deadline for Hezbollah’s disarmament
The Trump administration has set Dec. 31 as the deadline for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, according to diplomatic sources with knowledge of the matter, Israel Hayom reported on Nov. 27.
The U.S.-designated terrorist group has rejected attempts to disarm it.
In the absence of Beirut bringing Hezbollah’s weapons under state control and amid Iranian-led efforts to rebuild its terrorist proxy in violation of the Nov. 24, 2024, ceasefire, Israel has continuously struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and has maintained IDF posts in five strategic locations. Israel is also adding to its security barrier along the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line international border.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, forcing tens of thousands of northern Israel residents to evacuate and causing deaths, injuries and widespread damage. In response, Jerusalem took out most of the group’s leadership and delivered punishing blows to its military capabilities and terror forces.
However, Tehran is determined to rebuild its prized terror proxy despite Israeli and American efforts. The Islamic Republic has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah through money exchanges and businesses in Dubai over the past year, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 27.
Iran is seeking alternative routes to finance its Lebanese ally following disruptions to traditional smuggling channels through Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, as well as increased scrutiny of cash couriers at Beirut’s airport, according to people familiar with the matter. The activity has raised U.S. concerns as the terrorist group seeks funds to rebuild and rearm after its costly conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah’s message to Pope Leo
The Shi’ite Muslim terrorist group on Saturday urged Pope Leo XIV to prevent Israeli military action against it ahead of the pontiff’s three-day visit to Lebanon that started on Sunday, following his trip to Turkey.
“We in Hezbollah take advantage of the occasion of your auspicious visit to our country Lebanon to reaffirm from our side our commitment to coexistence,” the group claimed in a statement published to its social media channels. The terror proxy wrote of its commitment to “standing with our army and our people to face any aggression and occupation of our land and our country,” adding that what Israel “is doing in Lebanon is unacceptable ongoing aggression.
“We rely on your holiness’s stance in rejecting the injustice and aggression our nation of Lebanon is subjected to at the hands of the Zionist invaders and their supporters,” the statement added.
Qassem also welcomed the visit of the leader of the Catholic Church in a speech Friday, according to AFP, insisting that Hezbollah has respected the truce and calling for an end to Israeli attacks, while saying that another war is possible “at some point” while threatening retaliation for the Israeli targeted killing of Tabatabai.
“It is our right to respond, and we will determine the timing,” Qassem said at a memorial event for Tabatabai.
“We welcome this visit at this pivotal moment, and we pray that the Holy Father will contribute to spreading peace in Lebanon, liberating it, ending the [Israeli] aggression, and standing by it and by the oppressed, as we have always known him to do,” the terrorist leader said.
IDF concerned UNIFIL may help Hezbollah
Against the backdrop of pressure on Beirut from Washington and Jerusalem to disarm Hezbollah, Israeli Army Radio (“Galei Tzahal,” or “Galatz”) reported on Sunday that the IDF is expressing concern that “sensitive military information and valuable intelligence could leak to Hezbollah via UNIFIL.”
Senior military officials are concerned that images of Israeli forces operating at the Lebanese border, taken by members of the United Nations peacekeeping force, could end up in the hands of Hezbollah and be used against Israel for intelligence-gathering and planning terrorist activities.
This comes as Army Radio revealed in recent weeks that the IDF discovered an official coordination document written by UNIFIL in which the organization refers to “the Israeli enemy.” The IDF conveyed its outrage at the wording of the document, and UNIFIL responded by saying that it was a mistake and that it had copied text from the Lebanese army and forgotten to correct it. UNIFIL apologized.
Army Radio also reported on an incident several weeks ago when a UNIFIL force shot down an IDF drone over the village of Kila (aka Kfarkila) in Southern Lebanon.
“There’s nothing good in UNIFIL—they are mainly a disruptive factor. They contribute nothing, certainly not to disarming Hezbollah. They harm the IDF’s freedom of action, and we are very concerned that images from our forces’ activities on the border are leaking to Hezbollah. The sooner they leave the area and end their operations, the better,” a senior IDF official said.
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate, in place since 1978, is scheduled to end on Dec. 31, 2026, when the operation will begin a year-long drawdown and withdrawal phase from Southern Lebanon.
