In a pair of comments that broadly reflect why the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon shows no sign of ending, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah Executive Council head Ali Damoush both addressed their respective crowds and laid out their goals.
Netanyahu, who was speaking at an October 7 memorial event, vowed that it was his policy to continue striking Lebanon, framing it as a way to “create an opportunity for peace.” In the three years since October 7, this is Israel’s second major ground invasion of Lebanon.
Israel invaded Lebanon in late September of 2024, a war that continued until November of that year and ended with an occupation of multiple hilltop sites which continued right up until early March of this year, when Israel invaded once again during the ongoing war with Iran. That 2026 invasion has been much longer, deadlier, and by all indications has no obvious exit path.
It’s all centered not just on killing enemy fighters, but destroying southern Lebanese territory, with some towns and villages in the far south virtually wiped out, and the Lebanese government conceding that, with the war not even over yet it’s beyond their capacity to reconstruct from it without international help.
Sheikh Ali Damoush spoke at a ceremony in Beirut, and he spoke of the need for “steadfastness on the path of resistance and our commitment to it.” He similarly framed resistance to the invasion as the only option available to Hezbollah, and declared it a “national necessity for reclaiming the land.”
Damoush is an influential Shi’ite cleric and took over as head of the executive council during the 2024 war, when Israel assassinated his predecessor, Hashem Safieddine. Damoush had previously served as a sharia court judge for Hezbollah and an important foreign relations figure.
As those two key figures in their respective factions both lay out the case for staying the course, Israel continues to carry out strikes on southern Lebanon, and the hopes that the US-brokered negotiations are going to lead to a lasting peace any time soon seem increasingly remote.
