The entire world has heaved a sigh of relief as a two-week ceasefire has been announced in the war between Iran and US-Israel. This will mean fewer civilian casualties and less infrastructural destruction. However there are real challenges to lasting peace in the region. Iran's ten point demand includes cessation of hostilities of Israel against Lebanon. However Israel has said that the attack against Lebanon will continue even during the ceasefire. In fact there was an attack on Southern Lebanon immediately after the ceasefire was announced. Israel considers Hezbollah a threat, while Iran supports Hezbollah as a regional proxy. Any ceasefire that doesn’t address Lebanon’s status is inherently fragile. And what about tensions between Israel and Iran which have been on for several decades? There needs to be a broader multilateral agreement involving Lebanon, Israel, Iran, and other stakeholders. Demilitarization or constraints on proxies like Hezbollah is vital. There needs to be strong international monitoring in the region to prevent violations. This is one of those geopolitical issues where the underlying tensions remain unresolved. The world can see periods of calm, but sustained peace requires systemic changes and compromises
