Lebanese rejoice while Israelis wait - Alma Center director says ceasefire doesn’t rest on IDF achievements

Lieutenant Colonel (Reserve) Sarit Zehavi, founder and president of Alma — a nonprofit research and education center focused on Israel’s security challenges along its northern border — stated that Israeli concerns about the ceasefire are not based on the accomplishments of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Zehavi said that while it might be premature to judge the ceasefire, the Israeli leadership faces several internal concerns which could have influenced its decision to accept the proposal. 

Asked if she believed the ceasefire is a victory or a “premature surrender”, Zehavi responded, “I’m not sure it is premature, because we did gain a lot of achievement with the IDF against Hezbollah.” 

She continued by saying, “I would have been happier if we got all the way to the Litani River." She also acknowledged that the IDF and the northern communities are facing several realities. 

“Winter is coming, and we need to let the reservists go home,” Zehavi stated. She added that the children in northern communities need to return to classes, noting that her own daughter had not been to school “in the past two months.” 

While there is significant war fatigue in northern communities, many are also concerned about the effectiveness of the ceasefire agreement.

Zehavi voiced the doubts of many in the region, saying, “We don’t have too many expectations.”

She questioned whether anyone would actually follow through on the condition to "disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River" and further criticized the Lebanese government's failure to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization as part of the ceasefire.

“Hezbollah is a member of the Lebanese government,” she explained. “As long as that’s the case, I don’t see how there will be any real change.”

She added, “Iran has already promised to remain involved in Lebanon the day after.

This suggests that Iran may finance and become involved in the rebuilding efforts of both Hezbollah and Lebanon, potentially strengthening its influence within the Shia community there. 

“Hezbollah wants a ceasefire that will enable it to recover,” Zehavi stated. “This is the key to understand what’s going on here. It suffered tons of damages and that is why it is interested in a ceasefire.” 

“This is the real problem,” Zehavi warned, “It’s not about the military achievements.” 

Zehavi’s concerns are shared by community leaders in Israel’s north. 

Merom Galilee Regional Council head Amit Sofer said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet, that the agreement doesn’t provide security for the northern communities. 

“This is an agreement that leaves the northern border unprotected. Hezbollah will reestablish itself there, Iranian money will continue to flow, and what we are achieving with such an agreement is not security," Sofer said. 

He noted that despite the calls from Lebanese politicians urging the evacuated residents of Lebanon’s southern communities to return home, there is no such call from Israeli politicians. 

“Not only am I not calling on the residents to return, the government is not calling either,” he stated. “This agreement provides quiet but not security." 

Asher Davidovitch, Chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum and head of the Mateh Council, agreed with Sofer’s assessment. 

“There is one side that is jubilant and happy, which is Hezbollah and the residents of southern Lebanon, and there is one side that is sad and painful - that these are residents of the north,” Davidovitch told Kan News. 

Like Zehavi, he warned, “I have no doubt that Hezbollah will emerge stronger from this ceasefire, because its sole purpose is to gather forces and prepare itself for the next mission - October 7, 2025/6.”