Israeli military veterans are expressing unease about the Israeli-controlled “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon, saying it echoes earlier conflicts they experienced during Israel’s occupation in the late 1980s. Speaking near the Israel-Lebanon border, some veterans describe how commanders then told them they were protecting Israel’s north, in what was known as the southern Lebanon “security strip.” One veteran, Gil Shely, says the assurances from that period amounted to “fairy tales” in hindsight, and he warns that the current arrangement risks becoming a “deadly replay” of a strategy that proved costly.
The reporting also notes that Israeli political leaders describe the territory as a “war gain,” framing it as a security achievement. Veterans interviewed, however, suggest that the past experience of fighting in southern Lebanon offers lessons that are not being fully reflected in current thinking. The accounts highlight a divide between official narratives of deterrence and the personal assessments of former soldiers who say the risks of occupation and cross-border conflict have not disappeared.
