So, I'm not so sure about israel's strategy here. They seem to be feeling pressure internationally to ease up on what they're doing, which is understandable, but is the end desire now merely a "buffer" from Hezbollah? Now that it appears israel
won't be expanding their offensive, I wonder if what they've accomplished is worth the damage that has been inflicted.
If the end goals were to get back their soldiers, disarm Hezbollah in compliance with the UN, and assist the Lebanese government in protecting their own borders, than I feel like they have failed at all three thus far. That's a lot of bombs, and a number of innocent lives lost, all for a "buffer".
The only thing these thugs respect is strength, and anything short of fully disarming Hezbollah will be viewed as a victory for Hezbollah and Ayatollah Geggy against the Zionist imperialists. The attacks will persist, if not in the form of rockets, but in other forms.
I'm guessing a lot of backroom dealings are going on, and some have argued that
Syria needs to be a part of the discussion, which I suppose is a valid point.
I think Lebanon is a good country, and could be an amazing country without the Syiran/Iranian/armed Hezbollah elements holding such sway there. I don't see any deal coming out of this though that would fix these problems.