Israel’s Northern Exposure - with Matt Levitt
4/27/202644 min
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Is Israel heading toward another war with Hezbollah, or is it already in one?
Dan is joined by counterterrorism expert Matt Levitt to unpack the fragile reality between Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah. While Hezbollah was significantly degraded, the threat never disappeared. Even as diplomatic efforts try to stabilize the situation, Israel is now actively working to prevent the group from rebuilding.
They discuss life in Israel’s north, Hezbollah’s status in Lebanon, the limits of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and the risks of escalation. The conversation also explores new U.S.-backed diplomacy, and whether there’s a real path to long-term stability, or just a managed conflict.
In this episode:
- What the 2024 ceasefire was supposed to accomplish
- How much of Hezbollah’s capabilities were actually degraded
- Why life in northern Israel still hasn’t returned to normal
- Inside the IDF’s ongoing campaign in southern Lebanon
- Why the Lebanese Armed Forces haven’t fully disarmed Hezbollah
- Hezbollah’s role inside Lebanese politics and society today
- The threat of Hezbollah’s Unit 121 and internal intimidation
- New U.S.-led diplomacy and whether it can change the equation
- Whether Israel may need a long-term presence in southern Lebanon
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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDan Senor· Host0:00
As events accelerate in the Middle East, the team here at Ark Media is increasing our coverage. More conversations, more context, more time spent trying to help make sense of what's happening, and all with an expanding cast of podcast hosts, analysts, and journalists. Our Inside Call Me Back subscribers help make this expanded coverage possible. It helps us be here when it matters most. If you're not yet an Inside Call Me Back subscriber, this is an important time to join us. To subscribe, you can follow the link in our show notes or visit arcmedia.org. And to our insiders, thank you.
Matt Levitt· Guest0:39
[upbeat music] You are listening to an Ark Media podcast. I think that when an Arab government that's been at war with Israel says, "We are willing to sit down at the table with you," Israel should say yes every time. That doesn't mean you say yes to everything they ask for, but you say yes to that meeting. When the President of the United States says, "Let's meet in my office," you say yes, and you explore what is possible. So Israel's not going to ever just put its security in someone else's hands and go to sleep. But if the Lebanese Armed Forces can be deployed in the south to reclaim their own territory and to remove the Hezbollah threat from Israel's border, that's something worth exploring.
Unknown speaker1:21
[upbeat music]