Could an Israeli buffer zone across southern Lebanon permanently displace tens of thousands of people—and undermine Lebanon’s best chance for peace? Israel may seek to maintain control over a broad buffer zone stretching from its border with Lebanon through the southern Beqaa Valley and toward Israeli-held territory around Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, journalist Kim Ghattas tells Ian Bremmer. From Israel’s perspective, the territory could provide added protection against another attack like October 7. But for Lebanon, the human cost could be enormous. Ghattas estimates that tens of thousands of Lebanese could be prevented from returning to at least 60 villages and towns. With roughly a million people already displaced by the conflict, she argues that Lebanon urgently needs a diplomatic breakthrough that demonstrates the state—not Hezbollah—can protect its citizens and reclaim control of its territory. “The president needs a diplomatic success that he can sell to the Lebanese people,” Ghattas says, “to demonstrate that diplomacy is the way forward for Lebanon.” GZERO Media, a Eurasia Group company, is a multimedia publisher providing news, insights, and commentary on the events shaping our world. Our properties include GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, our weekly show on US public television; our newsletters GZERO Daily, GZERO AI, GZERO North, and GZERO Daily with Ian Bremmer; our parody series Puppet Regime; our digital video series including Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take every week; and the GZERO World Podcast. Our content is free and available at https://www.gzeromedia.com/. #gzeroworld #lebanon #iranisraelwar
