When Benny Sabti was a child growing up in Iran, he remembers receiving an unusual prize at school. ‘For being an excellent student, I received a Persian translation of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler,’ Sabti told Fox News Digital. ‘They translated Hitler’s book into Persian and distributed it to students.’

The experience stayed with him. Looking back, Sabti, now an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Israel, says it reflected a broader effort by Iran’s ruling clerical establishment to shape how young Iranians viewed politics, religion and the world around them.

Schools, mosques, workplaces and media all became part of an ideological ecosystem designed to reinforce loyalty to the regime. But critics of Iran’s leadership say religion itself was often not the ultimate goal.

‘Faith for them is their tool,’ Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s not the end all to be all. It’s a tool that they can hide behind so that they can carry out all their criminalities.’

Religion and power

The Islamic Republic was founded on the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, or ‘guardianship of the Islamic jurist,’ which places ultimate political and religious authority in the hands of the country’s supreme leader.

But Zand argues that in practice the system functions less as a purely religious project and more as a mechanism of political control. ‘It’s more like a mafia,’ she said. ‘They use faith in order to keep people down.’

According to Zand, ideology is reinforced through a mix of financial incentives and intimidation. ‘They tried by incentive and money and buying people,’ she said.

Programs tied to the Basij, a militia affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have often provided benefits such as jobs, housing and education to families aligned with the regime.

‘If you are poor and you join the Basij, they give you benefits,’ Zand said. ‘But you have to go along with whatever it is that they offer you.’

Ideology embedded in daily life

Sabti says the Islamic Republic built a vast network designed to reinforce ideology in everyday life. ‘In banks, offices, public spaces and even in the bazaars, regime representatives walk between shops telling people it is time to pray and checking who is not attending,’ Sabti said.

Mosques themselves are closely integrated into the political system. Friday prayer leaders often deliver sermons aligned with government messaging.

‘There are 16 propaganda bodies in Iran,’ Sabti said, describing a network of state institutions responsible for spreading the regime’s interpretation of Islam and the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.

Some institutions also focus on exporting that ideology abroad. ‘There is a university dedicated to converting Sunnis to Shiism,’ he said. ‘They bring people from Africa and South America to Iran, convert them to Shiism and send them back to export the Shiite Islamic revolution.’

Indoctrination in schools

Schools play a central role in the regime’s ideological system.

‘Schools are heavily indoctrinated,’ Sabti said. ‘In civil studies books, Islam was promoted as superior to all other ideologies.’

Religious messaging appears across the curriculum. ‘You cannot separate any school subject from Islam,’ Sabti said. ‘Not history, not geography. Everything is mixed with ideology. The only thing missing was adding it to mathematics.’

For Sabti, the Mein Kampf episode symbolized the ideological environment students were exposed to. The message, he said, reinforced hostility toward perceived enemies and embedded a political worldview from an early age.

Ideology and hypocrisy

Sabti says the credibility of the system is also undermined by the behavior of Iran’s own elites. ‘You can see it in the second generation,’ he said. ‘Their children live abroad while the elites live in palaces in Iran and in other countries. It is hypocrisy.’

Zand says ideology has always been reinforced by intimidation. ‘They make examples out of people in the most vicious possible way,’ she said. ‘It’s fear and manipulation.’

According to Zand, that atmosphere of fear shapes daily life for many Iranians. ‘Everybody is afraid of the police,’ she said. ‘Everybody is afraid of their neighbors.’

An ideology losing its grip

Despite the regime’s extensive ideological machinery, Sabti believes many Iranians never fully accepted the worldview the government tried to impose.

‘Over the years, the indoctrination has stopped working,’ he said. ‘Most of the public does not truly believe it.’

Still, the Islamic Republic remains in power. ‘The regime maintains control through money, weapons and propaganda,’ Sabti said.

Zand agrees the system never fully reshaped Iranian society. Many people, she said, complied outwardly simply to avoid punishment.

‘They won’t have a problem to transfer as long as they realize that the new Iran has no room for the violence and the horrifying characteristics of the Islamist regime,’ Zand told Fox News Digital.

She said that beneath the surface, Iran’s cultural identity remained intact even after decades of pressure from the state.

Kristi Noem will reportedly join President Donald Trump and 12 Latin American leaders at his resort in Florida for a ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit Saturday after her ouster as the Secretary of Homeland Security and appointment by President Donald Trump to be special envoy for the new coalition of nations. 

On Thursday, Trump announced Noem would be exiting her role as Homeland Security secretary and would be appointed a Special Envoy for the ‘Shield of the Americas,’ a summit for which will be held at the president’s resort in Doral, Florida, on Saturday. The new coalition of 13 countries has been formed to advance strategies that will tackle mass illegal immigration, narco-terrorist gangs and cartels. 

‘After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere. His efforts have been a tremendous success – our southern border is secure, Latin American countries are working with us to defeat the cartels, and illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro is facing justice for his crimes in the Southern District of New York – ushering in historic economic cooperation with Venezuela,’ said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly ahead of the summit. 

‘The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable, and this weekend’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ Summit will encapsulate all of his work to Make America, and our partners, Strong Again,’ she continued.

Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will also be at the Saturday summit. 

The leaders from other nations who will be present are Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Ortez, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino Quintero, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, Ecuador’s Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Honduras’ Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura, and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña.

Noem confirmed Friday, speaking from Nashville, that she will be at the summit, according to the Associated Press. Noem reportedly added that the president will announce ‘a big agreement’ detailing ‘how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.’ 

On Friday, Hegseth led a strategic conference in Doral with representatives of 17 different Caribbean, Central American and South American countries throughout the Western Hemisphere. During the conference, they signed a joint security declaration, reaffirming their commitment to peace and sovereignty in the region. According to a source familiar with the plans for the summit, the president plans to celebrate this achievement with attendees.

‘Secretary Noem helped usher in the most secure border in history, deported hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens, and executed record-setting counter-drug operations against cartels. All of this great experience positions Noem well to ensure American preeminence in the entire Western Hemisphere in her new role as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas,’ White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said. ‘This historic new security initiative, led by Secretary Noem, will advance cutting-edge strategies to defeat narco-terrorist cartels and stop illegal mass migration to make America and the entire Western Hemisphere safer.’

On Thursday, Rubio said he looked forward to working with Noem as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, and echoed the comments from the White House about her experience.

‘Kristi has achieved incredible results as Secretary of Homeland Security and will be a tremendous asset in our effort to promote security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere,’ Rubio said on X after Trump named Noem to her new post. 

House Democrats largely voted to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown to keep going on Thursday, shrugging off Republicans’ concerns about the increased domestic terror threat amid the U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran.

It comes hours after President Donald Trump shocked Capitol Hill by ousting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and appointing Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as his replacement.

But that did not stop the vast majority of Democrats from voting against a bipartisan DHS funding bill aimed at funding the cabinet agency through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. 

The bill did pass the House in a 221 to 209 vote, with all but four House Democrats voting against it — a significant indicator that Noem’s firing is not enough to tip the scales in the ongoing standoff. The Democrats who voted in favor of the funding bill are Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Jared Golden, D-Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-Wash., and Don Davis, D-N.C.

Nearly identical legislation already passed the House in January, but House GOP leaders wanted to force the vote again in light of heightened national security concerns within the country’s borders.

While largely symbolic, it shows Republicans’ pressure strategy is falling on deaf ears as the left continues to protest President Donald Trump’s strategy to combat illegal immigration.

The bill was the product of original bipartisan negotiations that followed the longest-ever full government shutdown in U.S. history, which ended in November after 43 days.

It would fully fund all aspects of DHS while also including new guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanded by Democrats, like a body-worn camera mandate and new required training on public engagement and de-escalation.

But Democrats walked away from the deal en masse amid fallout from Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which saw two U.S. citizens shot and killed by federal agents during anti-ICE demonstrations there. The operation has since ended.

Democratic leaders are still insisting on withholding their caucus’ support, however, until further restrictions are put on ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on the ground in various cities.

And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., signaled to reporters that Noem’s ouster was not enough.

‘It’s not like Kristi Noem was the one who was involved in negotiating anything. She was a corrupt lackey. So we were dealing with the White House before, and we’re going to continue to deal with the White House at this point,’ he said.

Meanwhile, the resulting DHS shutdown has taken on new significance as the U.S. continues its campaign to take out Iran’s top leadership and its military sites.

Republican leaders are warning that keeping DHS in a shutdown state is dangerous for national security, given its jurisdiction over agencies that monitor threats from home and abroad.

‘Now is the time to be vigilant at home and to ensure that all of our doors are locked, so to speak,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a press conference Wednesday. ‘And yet, as all this is happening, we have Democrats running around here playing political games in Congress. It’s infuriating. They’ve shut down the very agency that is responsible for securing the homeland.’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Republicans’ argument ‘insane’ when asked by Fox News Digital earlier this week.

‘Donald Trump launches an unauthorized war in the Middle East. … He decides that he wants to spend billions of dollars to bomb Iran, rather than spend taxpayer dollars to lower the grocery bills that are crushing the American people, and then wants to use his unauthorized war as an excuse to continue spending taxpayer dollars to brutalize or kill American citizens by continuing to unleash ICE without restriction on the American people?’ Jeffries posed. ‘I think it’s ridiculous.’

It’s the Senate, however, where passing that DHS funding bill is actually key to ending the shutdown. The upper chamber voted again Thursday on the original legislation that passed the House in January, but it failed to reach the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden himself is unlikely to face criminal exposure.

A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding that investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.

The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is ‘established law.’

The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law — specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.

‘These types of cases are tough, executive privilege issues come into play,’ the official said.

What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.

‘It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,’ the senior DOJ official said.

The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved President Donald Trump, the current sitting president, but would also apply to Biden.

‘We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,’ the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. ‘At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.’

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.

Trump has pushed for consequences tied to the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.

Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year that he personally directed the decisions in question.

‘Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,’ Biden said. ‘I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.’

The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of ‘contemporaneous documentation’ confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.

The committee asked the DOJ to investigate ‘all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.’

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations, according to a State Department media note issued Thursday.

‘The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations,’ the State Department said in a statement released March 5.

The State Department said the agreement is intended to ‘facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela.’

‘Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government,’ the statement said.

The announcement confirms the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations between the two governments. The State Department did not specify when embassy operations or visa services could resume.

The statement also did not address potential sanctions changes, outline migration or security cooperation measures, or provide additional details about diplomatic engagement moving forward.

The announcement comes after months of U.S. engagement in Venezuela.

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Caracas on March 4 and held meetings with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez during a two-day visit, U.S. and Venezuelan officials said. 

Burgum discussed opportunities related to mining and critical minerals supply chains and said the Venezuelan interim government had offered security assurances for foreign mining companies seeking to invest in the country.

U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 in Caracas. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty two days later in federal court in New York to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons-related offenses.

Diplomatic and consular relations typically involve government-to-government engagement as well as the operation of embassies and consulates that facilitate visas, citizen services and diplomatic coordination.

‘The United States remains committed to supporting the Venezuelan people and working with partners across the region to advance stability and prosperity,’ the statement said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this reporting.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to strike neighboring countries has backfired strategically, driving Gulf states that had hoped to stay out of the conflict ‘into the American orbit’ as the U.S. prepares to dramatically increase firepower over Tehran.

‘What Iran is doing by targeting allied countries that would otherwise want to stay out of this, they’ve actually pulled them into the American orbit,’ Hegseth said during a briefing at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

He cited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as countries now offering expanded cooperation, arguing that Tehran’s retaliatory campaign has strengthened regional alignment with Washington rather than weakened it.

U.S. military officials say Iran has launched strikes against a growing number of countries in the region since the conflict began, with CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper noting Tehran has targeted at least a dozen nations.

Rather than isolating the United States, Hegseth suggested Iran’s actions are consolidating support for the campaign.

‘The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically,’ he said, pointing to additional base access and increased bomber operations.

Hegseth also addressed allied base access, including the United Kingdom’s initial hesitation to grant U.S. forces early access to strategic facilities. He said the issue has since been resolved and that British-controlled bases are now part of the expanding U.S. air campaign.

‘It was unfortunate that … the Brits didn’t, from day one say, ‘Hey, go ahead and have access,’’ he said. ‘But we got there, we got there. And that’s now part of the way that we’re operationalizing bomber runs. … The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically, and part of it is that we’re going to have even more basing.’

Gulf and Arab governments have publicly condemned Iranian missile and drone strikes on their territories as violations of sovereignty and threats to regional security, while stopping short of criticizing U.S. military action.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan issued a joint statement strongly condemning Iran’s ‘indiscriminate and reckless’ missile and drone attacks against sovereign territory in the region, reaffirming their right to self-defense.

Regional leaders have framed Iran’s actions as dangerous escalations rather than legitimate retaliation, underscoring a rare moment of unified public opposition among Gulf Cooperation Council members.

Beyond the Gulf, Azerbaijan has also protested what it says were Iranian drone strikes on its Nakhchivan exclave, which injured civilians and damaged the international airport. Baku summoned Tehran’s ambassador and said it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures in defense of its territory, even as Tehran denied responsibility for the incident.

Some regional analysts say Iran appears to have miscalculated by striking at U.S. assets in third-party nations.

‘It was absolutely inevitable that the Iranians would seek to lash out, to widen the conflict … but all they’ve really done is made everybody quite mad, and that was a really bad calculation on their part,’ said Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Peter Doran, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted the shift in regional alignment.

‘It would have been unbelievable just one year ago to see Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states lining up with the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic,’ he said.

Hegseth dismissed suggestions that the war is spiraling outward, arguing that Iran’s actions are instead clarifying the battlefield and strengthening U.S. partnerships.

‘This idea that it’s expanding or going — no,’ he said. ‘It’s actually simplifying in a number of ways exactly what we need to achieve and how we’ll achieve it.’

Pentagon officials say U.S. bombers have struck nearly 200 targets in the past 72 hours, destroyed more than 30 Iranian naval vessels and significantly reduced missile and drone attacks since the opening days of the operation.

Officials maintain that the campaign’s objectives remain limited to degrading Iran’s ability to threaten Americans and its neighbors, even as the president has suggested he needs to have a say in who becomes Iran’s next leader.

‘I think the president’s having a heck of a say in who runs Iran, given the ongoing operation we have,’ Hegseth said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden is unlikely to face criminal exposure.

A senior DOJ official told Fox News the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.

The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is ‘established law.’

The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law, specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.

‘These types of cases are tough. Executive privilege issues come into play,’ the official said.

What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.

‘It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,’ the senior DOJ official said.

The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved current President Donald Trump but would also apply to Biden.

‘We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,’ the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. 

‘At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.’

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.

Trump has pushed for consequences over the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.

Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year he personally directed the decisions in question.

‘Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,’ Biden said. ‘I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.’

The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of ‘contemporaneous documentation’ confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.

The committee asked the DOJ to investigate ‘all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.’

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced Thursday evening he will not seek re-election amid a House Ethics investigation into an affair he admitted to having with a former staffer.

Gonzales, a married father of 6, admitted to the affair for the first time on Wednesday – a day after advancing to the GOP primary runoff for his congressional district.

‘At 18, I swore an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. During my 20 years in the military and three terms in Congress, I have fought for that cause with absolute dedication to the country that I love,’ Gonzales said in a statement.

‘From overcoming the border crisis to taking a stand with my communities after the worst school shooting in Texas’ history, my philosophy has never changed: do as much as you can, and always fight for the greater good,’ he continued.

‘After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,’ he added. ‘Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.

Gonzales confessed to the affair during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show one day after advancing to a runoff election in his congressional district’s GOP primary.

The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday to determine if he engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.

Amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, analysts say the Trump administration should pressure Lebanon to fulfill its commitments to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group as it drags the country into another war with Israel.  

David Schenker, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs who oversaw Lebanon’s policy during the first Trump administration and now directs the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: ‘The U.S. should make clear to Lebanon that it is time for the state to honor its ceasefire commitment to disarm Hezbollah,’ he told Fox News Digital. Schenker warned if Beirut ‘doesn’t pursue disarmament, it will remain a failed state.’

The warning comes as the IDF attacked multiple Hezbollah targets Friday in response to the terror group’s launching of rockets and drones toward Israel on March 2, its first attack since a November 2024 ceasefire ended the previous round of fighting. 

Since the first day of the renewed fighting, the IDF has carried out over 200 strikes across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s military, media and financial infrastructure, as well as operatives from the group and affiliated networks, according to a March 5 analysis by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’Long War Journal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also threatened Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.

The renewed fighting has exposed deep tensions inside Lebanon’s government, which in recent days called on Hezbollah to disarm and ordered security agencies to prevent attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory. 

Schenker says the move reflects frustration in Beirut rather than a fundamental policy shift. ‘The Government of Lebanon’s latest cabinet vote on Hezbollah disarmament is nothing new,’ Schenker said. ‘It is a reiteration of the cabinet decision last August mandating the disarmament of Hezbollah. The language is perhaps more strident, but the message is the same.’

‘It is a reflection of the Government’s frustration and desperation over Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into yet another war with Israel,’ he added. ‘It also reflects the Lebanese Armed Forces’ failure to date to take its mission of disarmament seriously.’

Hezbollah’s latest attacks appear to have caught Lebanese officials off guard. Reports suggest the group had previously assured officials it would not intervene in a broader regional conflict tied to Iran.

Schenker said the episode underscores a longstanding reality in Lebanon’s political system. ‘The government of Lebanon has never tried to control Hezbollah,’ he said. ‘The few months that the LAF devoted to disarmament in south Lebanon was performed with Hezbollah’s consent and coordinated with the militia.’

Still, public frustration inside Lebanon may be shifting the political environment. ‘Given the population’s growing anger toward Hezbollah now, the political environment should be more conducive for the LAF to confront Hezbollah,’ Schenker said.

‘The fear of ‘civil war’—i.e., Hezbollah perpetrating violence against the Government—remains,’ he added. ‘But increasingly, Lebanese prefer taking that risk and possibly gaining sovereignty than being in a state of perpetual war with Israel.’

In a clip posted on X by the Center for Peace Communications, Lebanese people angrily responded to Hezbollah’s actions with one man telling Jusoor News: ‘If Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem wants to commit suicide, let him go do it in Tehran, not Lebanon.’

According to David Daoud, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel despite the ceasefire reflects the group’s willingness to escalate the conflict even as Lebanon’s government seeks to avoid another war.

The crisis has also drawn international attention. French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent steps to prevent Lebanon from sliding deeper into war.

‘Everything must be done to prevent this country, so close to France, from once again being drawn into war,’ Macron wrote in a statement posted on X on March 5 after speaking with Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese leaders.

Macron said Hezbollah ‘must immediately cease its fire toward Israel,’ while urging Israel to avoid expanding military operations inside Lebanon.

For now, analysts say the outcome may depend on whether Lebanon’s government is willing to confront Hezbollah directly or continue to tolerate Iran’s terror proxy that has long operated outside the control of the government’s control.