Transcript will be available here

Ever since the barbaric attacks of October 7, 2023, the Iranian proxy Hezbollah has been itching to show solidarity with Hamas and get into the war.

During this current war, Hezbollah has lobbied over 10,000 missiles into Israel, causing at least 60,000 to 70,000 Israelis to become internally displaced refugees in their own homeland. Thousands of acres of farmland and forests have been destroyed by Hezbollah projectiles coming into Israel.

In mid-September, Israel stunned the world by having scores of Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies exploding in their very hands. Shortly after that, Israeli ground troops entered the northern front.

Although the IDF has been successful in eliminating a great deal of the Radwan Force, the IDF recently uncovered a tunnel system housing a Hezbollah underground command center replete with approximately a half-ton of explosives including Kalashnikovs, hand grenades, RPG’S, and underground exploding devices, and projectiles, all beneath “innocent” communities and homes in southern Lebanon.

Although some Israel national security advisors have stated that the IDF has eliminated at least 70 percent of the 150,000 weapons from Hezbollah, at least 30,000 weapons remain. That can do a significant amount of damage.

Meanwhile, the United States has sent a special envoy, Amos Hochstein into the region, who has come back, once again, empty-handed.

Among the issues we will be discussing are the recent IDF discovery of a massive underground tunnel and what it means for the out some of the war. How many are there like this?  How the recent US plan, conveyed by Amos Hochstein is any different from UN Security Council Resolution 1701. What kind of international force, if any, would be acceptable to Israel to enforce 1701? The significance of the recent capture of a Hezbollah sea captain by Israel. What might Israel be looking for?  UNIFIL “claimed” that Israeli troops have attacked it. What is the actual truth behind this story? Can ALMA explain UNIFIL’s reluctance to obey the IDF’s orders?

How ALMA might envision the end of the war on the northern front and whether Hezbollah or some other incarnation of it, regroup. And whether there can be an independent Lebanon, not dominated by Hezbollah How might that government look like? What can the US and other world powers do to ensure that will happen?

About our Speaker: Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi is the founder and president of Alma – a nonprofit and an independent research and education center specializing in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border. Sarit has briefed hundreds of groups and forums, ranging from US Senators, Congressmen/women, and politicians to senior journalists and visiting VIP groups in Israel and overseas. Sarit scripts numerous position papers and updates focusing on Lebanon, Syria, and Israel’s national security challenges. She served for 15 years in the Israeli Defense Forces, specializing in Military Intelligence. Sarit holds an M.A. in Middle East Studies from Ben-Gurion University. Her unique achievements led her to be selected by the Jerusalem Post as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Global Jewish Personalities of 2021.

Sarit, her husband Yaron, and their children live in the Western Galilee.