“Iran’s role is extremely negative, and its policies are among the chief sources of instability in Lebanon and the region,” Raggi wrote on social media.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji attends a press conference during his Syrian couterpart Asaad Al-Shibani’s first official visit since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, at the foreign ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, October 10, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)BySETH J. FRANTZMANUpdated: Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi slammed Iran on December 15, the latest in growing tensions between the countries.
“Iran’s role is extremely negative, and its policies are among the chief sources of instability in Lebanon and the region,” Raggi wrote on social media.
Iran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon and has used Hezbollah in the past to assassinate Lebanese officials and citizens. Iran has also used Lebanon as a base to attack Israel, bringing ruin and war to the country.
Several months ago, Lebanon again condemned Iran’s meddling. “Relations between states must be based on mutual respect, equality, non-interference in domestic affairs, and full adherence to the decisions of legitimate constitutional institutions,” the Ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shakes hands with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji as he leaves the foreign ministry in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)
“It is completely unacceptable for these relations to be used to promote or support domestic actors outside the framework of the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, or at the expense of the state itself,” the Lebanese foreign ministry said. This was in response to comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had backed Hezbollah.
meddling in domestic issues
The latest spat began with Lebanon once again expressing concern that Iran was meddling in its internal affairs. Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed accusations by Lebanese Foreign Minister Raggi, reports noted.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei mentioned the Lebanese comments. Iran also believes that Lebanon has been blocking the appointment and receipt of credentials of Iran’s new ambassador to Beirut.
Baghaei said that the priority for Lebanon should be “defending Lebanon against Israel’s ongoing crimes.” Baghaei also said Iran has “submitted the relevant requests and completed the necessary procedures,” regarding the new Iranian ambassador.
The big question now is whether Lebanon’s prime minister and president will stand by their foreign minister or throw him under the bus. Rajji has led the charge while Lebanon’s leaders appear to be stalling on disarming Hezbollah.
The pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar newspaper in Lebanon is now trying to create tensions and division. The paper claims that “President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam informed those who contacted them of their displeasure with the statements of Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, whether in relation to the general situation or to relations with Iran in particular.”
The report claims that Aoun is concerned that Rajji is acting unilaterally. The report claims that “for his part, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed his displeasure with Raji’s statements, affirming to his visitors that they ‘in no way reflect the position of the Lebanese government, regardless of any reservations Lebanon may have regarding Iran’s role in Lebanon and the region.’”
The report at Al-Akhbar accused Rajji of being a “political minister” and noted his affiliation with the Christian Lebanese Forces political party. Rajji has previously served in a number of diplomatic roles for Lebanon, including in Washington, Brussels, and at the UN.
He was also a senior official in Lebanon’s embassy in Morocco and the ambassador to Jordan. In order to try to sideline Rajji, Al-Akhbar claimed that “it is noted that Arab and foreign diplomats in Lebanon avoid holding regular meetings with Rajji, while several Lebanese ambassadors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledge the difficulty of conducting any dialogue with him.”
The goal of Iran and Hezbollah now is to have Rajji reprimanded for his statements.
A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. (Omar Havana/AP)
Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday rejected one in a series of legal challenges brought by Israel against the court’s probe into its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
On appeal, judges refused to overturn a lower court’s decision that the prosecution’s investigation into alleged crimes under its jurisdiction can include events following the terror group’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, which started the war.
The ruling means the investigation continues, and the arrest warrants issued last year for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant remain in place.
Judges found there was reason to believe that the pair may have committed war crimes by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians during the war — charges Israeli officials deny. Netanyahu’s office called the accusations “antisemitic” and said it rejected them “with disgust.”
Israel blasted the ICC’s decision. “This is yet another example of the ongoing politicization of the ICC and its blatant disregard for the sovereign rights of non-party states, as well as its own obligations under the Rome Statute,” the Foreign Ministry charged in a statement, adding: “This is what politics in the guise of ‘international law’ looks like.”
Israel has long denied the allegations against it, asserting that the war, with the declared aims of returning the hostages taken by Hamas, defeating the terror group, and preventing a future threat from Gaza, has been fought in accordance with international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (left) Netanyahu at the Knesset, November 11, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); An exterior view of the International Criminal Court, or ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 30, 2024. (AP/Peter Dejong); Then-defense minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a press conference at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, on November 5, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Israel also entirely rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza, where it has waged a military campaign it says is aimed at eliminating Hamas following the October 7 attack. It argues that since the terms of the Oslo Accords explicitly deny any Palestinian entity legal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, the Palestinian Authority never had the right to delegate jurisdiction to the ICC in the first place.
The ICC initially also issued warrants for top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, but withdrew them after the three were killed by Israel.
In response to the issuing of warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, the United States issued a series of wide-ranging sanctions against ICC staff members, including six judges and the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
According to a recent report, the sanctioned staffers are struggling to live and work due to the unpredictable financial and travel restrictions imposed by the US.
The court is also facing a leadership crisis after, earlier this year, Khan stepped aside pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations.
The problem for Israel is that ceasefires on two borders are not bringing calm. Israeli leaders and officials appear to think that new rounds of conflict are only a matter of time.
IDF killed six terrorists and arrested dozens in “Operation Five Stones” in the northern West Bank.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)BySETH J. FRANTZMANUpdated: For Israel, there are many challenges that will occur as the last weeks of December come and fade, including the fact that going into 2026, Jerusalem still has unsettled conflicts on many borders. In Gaza, the military is dealing with daily threats amid the ceasefire, and in Lebanon, the IDF is also eliminating Hezbollah terrorists.
The problem for Israel is that ceasefires on two borders are not bringing calm. Israeli leaders and officials appear to think that new rounds of conflict are only a matter of time.
This is partly a result of post-October 7 thinking, where there is a sense that Israel has to be constantly active, pushing back enemies and preempting attacks. This has led to Israel’s policy in Syria and predictions that more conflict is inevitable there.
This contrast between hopes and expectations, as well as assessments, will drive the tempo of IDF operations in the coming months and also possibly lead to chafing between Israel’s policies and those of other countries.The US, for instance, wants calm in Gaza in order to move forward with the International Stabilization Force.
The challenge for Israel is clear. Early Monday morning, the IDF said, “A short while ago, following an attempted stabbing attack against IDF soldiers in the area of Kedumim, an IDF soldier and an Israeli civilian opened fire in order to eliminate the threat.”
The day before, just after the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah, the IDF put out a statement about operations in Lebanon.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir conducting a situational assessment in the Gaza Strip, December 7, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
“IDF troops, led by the Northern Command, under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate and in cooperation with the Israel Air Force, have eliminated approximately 40 terrorists in about 30 different areas across southern Lebanon since the beginning of October. These terrorists are among more than 380 terrorists who have been eliminated since the ceasefire and understandings came into effect, during which the Hezbollah terrorist organization violated the agreement more than 1,900 times,” the report said.
This followed a strike on Zakaria Yahya al-Hajj, “a senior terrorist of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Jwaya area in southern Lebanon.”ria, Lebaon, Gaza are main challenges for IsraelIDF CHIEF of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was in northern Israel with the 91st Division, responsible for the border with Lebanon, on Sunday for the candle lighting.He said, “We will not allow the enemy to build up power, and we will respond to any violation; our pattern of operation is clear. Yesterday, we eliminated Raad Saad, a senior operative in the Hamas military wing, who led and carried out terrorist activity for more than 30 years and was one of the orchestrators of the October 7 attack. His involvement in the attempts to reestablish and rebuild Hamas’s capabilities constituted a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“Within a short period of time, we eliminated Hezbollah’s chief of staff and the head of Hamas’s production headquarters. We will not allow the enemy to reestablish themselves and will respond to any violation of the agreement. Our policy is clear: in all sectors, here, as well as in Lebanon, we will continue to operate and thwart emerging threats.”
The 91st is one of the divisions that is dealing with the multifront threat and the new tempo of operations. On the border with Syria, the 210th is doing the same work. These are territorial divisions, responsible for these various borders. The IDF also has a new Mountain Brigade in the North, securing the Hermon and Mount Dov.
This unit, the 810th, was created during the Israel-Hamas War and operates in the 210th’s sector. In December 2024, the IDF seized the peak of the Hermon and moved into a buffer zone along the Syrian border. Since then, these units have had to deal with the pressures of the border with Syria. This includes more operational activities and raids.
Further south, the IDF’s 96th Division, which was also formed during the war, conducted a major training in November. In a speech on December 3 to the IDF’s 80th Division, which deals with areas of southern Israel, Zamir also spoke about the 96th’s role today.
“Part of the adaptation and strengthening of the defense strategy is changes in our force buildup, including the establishment of the 96th Division, responsible for defending the eastern border, and the establishment of additional border defense battalions. These are significant steps in shaping the IDF’s defensive capabilities for the coming years.”
When one zooms out and looks at all this from above, it is clear that Israel faces many challenges. The forward doctrine of trying to preempt threats, operating in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria at the same time, and dealing with terror threats in the West Bank and potentially along the Egyptian and Jordanian borders is a major task for Israel today.
Without getting to a clear ceasefire or a goal in Gaza and Lebanon or an agreement with Syria, Israel will face these hurdles in December and into the next year. It’s possible that the norm becomes “managing” the conflicts in all these areas and arenas. It’s also possible that one of the fronts careens toward another conflict, as many have been warning regarding Hezbollah.
