Many in Israel will be furious with US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the impending 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah that Trump declared on Thursday.
But the fact is that Israel had already achieved in this round of war most of what it could militarily.
Israel destroyed 70%-80% of Hezbollah’s 150,000 rocket arsenal in the fall of 2024, leaving it with about 20%-30%, and it assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
During this war, it has knocked Hezbollah down to about 10% of what it had pre-2023.
Also, the IDF had taken over most of southern Lebanon in the fall of 2024. In February 2025, it withdrew to five outposts near the border.
The IDF has now retaken all of southern Lebanon, evacuated far more Shi’ites from there, and made it clear it will not rush to leave if Hezbollah keeps threatening Israel.
Israel also took serious hits from Hezbollah in the North, but much less when compared with the hits it took in the North and all over the country during the 2023-2024 conflict.
Hezbollah cannot be defeated by war alone
Top IDF commanders have repeatedly made it clear that they do not have the capacity to eliminate Hezbollah solely using military force.
This did not occur in Gaza after two years of war and destroying about 90% of the buildings against the much weaker Hamas.
So, it was not going to happen solely by military force with Hezbollah either.
What Israel can do is what it did after the November 2024 ceasefire: Hold Hezbollah’s feet to the fire with individual attacks when it tries to rearm and threaten Israel.
It can also hold onto southern Lebanon longer as a bargaining chip to get the Lebanese government to further disempower Hezbollah.
Hezbollah may also receive less funding to rebuild from Iran, which will face a much deeper financial crisis coming out of this war.
None of this means Israel’s problems with Hezbollah will disappear. But Israel did achieve some additional progress in this war, even if it is less than what many had hoped.
Now it is time for the diplomats to translate the military’s achievements into a more permanent and favorable postwar framework.