Rupture and thaw

Hezbollah's refusal to be part of the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has come as a spanner in the works. The truce was brokered last week in Washington, as Iran and the US were haggling for a dialogue in Islamabad. The decision of the pro-Iran group not to be part of the truce deal is a setback to efforts for congeniality among the arch foes. The war casualties in Lebanon have surpassed 2500, with more than 1.6 million displaced by Israeli attacks. Hezbollah's Secretary General Naim Qassem has apparently taken a high-moral ground, as he claims that talks with the Jewish state is a 'negation of dignity', vowing to continue 'defensive resistance'.

Hezbollah, nonetheless, has come up with its own five conditionalities: halt to the aggression; Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories; release of detainees; return of residents to all their places; and reconstruction. This pronouncement has coincided with fresh onslaught on Hezbollah's infrastructure in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, as well as areas in southern Lebanon, broadening the scope of destruction and dealing a lethal blow to all the hopes for a thaw in one of the most volatile frontiers in the Middle East.

This rupture is fraught with serious consequences. It seems Hezbollah has simply raised the stakes for the parties mediating in the conflict, and literally bypassed the writ of the Lebanese government which was eager for a quid pro quo with Israel. That means no solution can be attained until and unless the Hezbollah militia is on board, as it is an indispensable power-broker in the conflict.

However, efforts for perpetually ending the war in the Middle East have witnessed some positive developments as Tehran has opted for regional diplomacy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's back-to-back visits to Islamabad, and to Muscat and Moscow, have opened vistas of a negotiated settlement. This must graduate into a broad-based understanding over reopening the Strait of Hormuz by both Tehran and Washington for uninterrupted navigation, as well as returning to the dialogue table for a composite deal of the brave hearts.