Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Agreement: A Historic Deal or Another Mistake?

The Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement has been depicted by the Lapid government as a historical agreement, often compared to the Abraham Accords, bringing two parties together, and as a significant step to normalizing relations between Israel and Lebanon. But Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy entity dedicated to working against American and Israeli interests, is the one in charge of running Lebanon. The Biden administration positioned itself as a mediator between Israel and Hezbollah and forced Jerusalem to make concessions that would weaken its deterrence against the activities of Iranian-backed operatives. Why did the United States encourage Israel to concede to Hezbollah’s demands? Does the agreement advance Israeli-Arab peace? Is the Israel-Lebanon deal just another step to appease Iran?