Diplomats tell Lebanon ban on Hezbollah worthless unless army steps in

Diplomats tell Lebanon ban on Hezbollah worthless unless army steps in Submitted by Adam Chamseddine on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:30 Sources suggest Israeli plan to advance 15km into Lebanon and even bisect the south Civil defence forces attempt to extinguish a blaze that erupted after Israeli bombardment on a solar farm and electricity generation facility in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre on 4 March 2026 (Kawnat Haju/AFP) Off As Israel pounds Lebanon and orders hundreds of thousands to flee, a second battle is unfolding behind closed doors: one of warnings, ultimatums and increasingly stark diplomatic messages delivered to senior Lebanese officials. According to diplomatic sources, Israel and western interlocutors have in recent days conveyed a blunt message to Lebanese officials: Israel no longer sees symbolic state measures against Hezbollah as meaningful unless they are followed by action on the ground. One diplomatic source told Middle East Eye an Israeli official informed a foreign diplomat in Israel that the Lebanese government’s decision to ban Hezbollah military activities was “not worth the ink it was written with”.