Israel Now Wants UN to Monitor Lebanon Ceasefire It Once Rejected

In January 2025, Israel asked the UN Security Council to oversee a US-led plan checking whether Lebanese forces follow the November 2024 ceasefire agreement. This is a turnabout: Israel's defense minister had rejected ceasefire talks months earlier. Israel wants proof that Hezbollah—a militia entrenched in Lebanon—disarms and stops getting weapons smuggled in. The challenge: Lebanon's government may lack the power to control armed groups inside its borders.