By Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam
Secretary General, Palestine Foundation Pakistan
In November 2024, a ceasefire agreement was reached in Lebanon, followed by another in Gaza in October 2025. The Gaza ceasefire was guaranteed by major global powers, yet the world remains witness to the fact that the ceasefire has not been implemented. Israeli airstrikes against Palestinians continue unabated, as Netanyahu repeatedly violates the terms of the agreement.
From the very beginning, analysts across the world had warned that neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor Netanyahu are trustworthy, given their long history of disregarding peace and international agreements. The same pattern has now emerged in Lebanon, where Israeli bombardment continues to target various regions. Prominent individuals are being assassinated, and American efforts to create political instability in the region have intensified.
Whether in Gaza or Lebanon, the reality is the same: the war has not ended. The killings persist, terrorism continues, and humanity remains crushed under the wheel of US led Israeli oppression. In such circumstances, what should be the moral responsibility of the global community? Let me emphasize here that, just as before, we must continue our protests, boycotts, and awareness campaigns against the oppressor. The struggle against Israeli aggression must not stop; rather, it must intensify so that the occupying power’s crimes and genocidal ambitions can be curbed through global pressure and consciousness.
A new phase of war has emerged in both Gaza and Lebanon. While the intensity of large-scale bombardments may have decreased, the conflict itself has merely changed from it has not ended. This strategy is being employed deliberately to “normalize” the situation and distract the global public from the realities of Gaza and Lebanon. Both regions continue to face Israeli airstrikes, drone attacks, and cross-border shelling under various pretexts, with southern Lebanon remaining under constant threat. In truth, this is a systematic campaign of organized violence where Israel attacks at will, violates agreements, and forces Palestinians and Lebanese civilians to bear the consequences.
The United States, Israel, and their allies now clearly understand that any major, full-scale war would push Israel into an unwinnable situation, as it already stands on the brink of strategic failure. If Israel were to launch an all-out war against Lebanon, its only real objective would be to crush the Lebanese resistance, particularly Hezbollah. Since 1982, every Israeli campaign from the invasion of Beirut to the 2006 war has revolved around this same ambition. Yet, despite decades of warfare, Israel has failed to defeat Hezbollah militarily or politically. This in itself marks Hezbollah’s greatest achievement and victory. Every war has proven that Israel’s and America’s goals in Lebanon remain unattainable.
Israel’s military and political leadership are well aware that a decisive victory is impossible. Any full-scale war that fails to destroy Hezbollah would only strengthen it further. Therefore, Israel now pursues limited objectives, conducting targeted strikes, assassinations, and minor operations to achieve tactical goals, delay Hezbollah’s modernization, or send deterrent messages. This same strategy is being implemented in Gaza against Hamas to disarm or destroy it, yet despite massive firepower and sustained aggression, Israel has achieved no meaningful success.
Through these limited strikes, Israel maintains a state of controlled tension , testing its defense systems and reinforcing its domestic narrative of deterrence and power. From Tel Aviv’s perspective, this ongoing but limited military campaign allows it to avoid heavy casualties while keeping Hezbollah away from launching larger retaliatory operations. However, the reality is that Hezbollah continues to rebuild and reorganize its capabilities. The destruction of buildings and targeted assassinations cannot weaken or eliminate Hezbollah because it is not merely an organization, it is an ideology, a belief system that is passed from generation to generation.
On the other hand, the resistance in Gaza and Lebanon fully understands that Israel does not want a full-scale war. Any such war would place far greater internal pressure on Israel than on Lebanon. The longer the resistance endures, the more it shapes the terms of any future confrontation. If Israel were to initiate a total war and fail to achieve its objectives, that failure would be entirely due to the steadfastness of the resistance.
There are growing indications that Israel seems willing to continue airstrikes and test red lines, while the resistance waits patiently for the right moment to retaliate. No one can predict when this balance might shift. History shows that wars in this region often erupt due to miscalculations, sometimes a single retaliatory strike or cross-border raid is enough to change the entire equation. What remains certain, however, is that resistance continues to live on. Even today, it persists with strength and conviction. When it does respond, it will do so on a scale Israel cannot ignore, and that moment could mark the beginning of another war, not by choice, but by inevitability.
Diplomacy with Israel has failed. Israel no longer responds to diplomatic appeals or international requests. Thus, if the resistance initiates new actions, it will not be to expand the war but to secure its simple right to stop the bombings.
In conclusion, the global institutions and alliances that claim to uphold peace have failed to halt Israel’s acts of terror in Gaza and Lebanon. The war has not ended; it continues, only in a different form. And now, more than ever, it is evident that this aggression can only be confronted and restrained through the enduring language of resistance.
