Former Israeli PM Warns Lebanon Mistakes Are Being Repeated Amid Rising Concerns

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has warned that Israel risks repeating past mistakes as it maintains a military presence in southern Lebanon, decades after he oversaw the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the region. Barak, who ordered the end of Israel’s 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, said the current situation bears similarities to the prolonged deployment that many Israelis later viewed as a strategic failure. On May 24, 2000, Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from southern Lebanon after nearly two decades of occupation.

Barak, then serving as prime minister, described the moment as deeply significant, recalling that the return of Israeli soldiers across the border into Israel gave him a powerful emotional response. The withdrawal ended a military presence that began in 1982 after Israel launched an invasion aimed at pushing Palestinian militants away from its northern border. However, over the years, the operation evolved into a long-term deployment focused on controlling territory and fighting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that gained influence in southern Lebanon.

By the late 1990s, growing numbers of Israelis questioned the strategic value of maintaining troops in Lebanon. Critics compared the situation to other prolonged foreign military engagements, including the US experience in Vietnam, arguing that the costs outweighed the benefits. More than two decades later, Israel has once again expanded its military presence in Lebanon. Israeli forces entered Lebanon again in March, and the country now controls more than 600 square kilometres of territory, according to reports. While recent polling suggests that many Israelis support maintaining a military presence in Lebanon, some former officials and security figures have expressed concern over the risks of a prolonged deployment.

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Barak said the current approach could lead Israel into a situation where maintaining its military position becomes an objective in itself rather than a means of achieving broader security goals. In a recent interview, he recalled his concerns from 1985, when he was a senior military officer and Israel shifted from active combat operations to a longer-term presence in Lebanon. He said that during that period, he had warned that the military would eventually focus on protecting its own infrastructure, including bases, supply routes and patrol operations, rather than advancing Israel’s strategic interests.

“Our very presence will become the only goal,” Barak said, describing his concerns about the logic of remaining in Lebanon without a clear political or security objective. The former prime minister argued that the same questions that surrounded Israel’s Lebanon policy decades ago remain relevant today. He said military deployments without a defined end goal could create new challenges and increase the risk of prolonged conflict. Israel’s current operations in Lebanon come amid heightened regional tensions and renewed clashes involving Hezbollah.

Israeli officials have argued that maintaining security control is necessary to prevent attacks along the northern border, while critics warn that extended military involvement could create further instability. Barak’s comments reflect a broader debate within Israel over the long-term consequences of military operations outside its borders. As the country continues its presence in southern Lebanon, the lessons from the previous occupation remain a subject of discussion among political leaders, military officials and the public.

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