Rudyard Griffiths

This might have, if you'd believe some of the statements of Netanyahu's cabinet ministers,

involve the forced resettlement of Lebanese people inside this buffer zone between the Israeli border and the Latani River, the destruction of homes and houses, basically a raised earth strategy.

Is that now all in jeopardy in doubt as these ceasefire talks get underway?

Yeah.

So what is the extent here that this war, while initially began as a political win for Bibi Netanyahu, in fact, it was a culmination of what he himself has expressed was a 30-year campaign,

to bring about a large-scale attack, and I guess in his view, a preference for fundamental regime change in Iran.

Where does Bibi Netanyahu find himself today?

Because the war has been halted by Donald Trump as Americans seek to come to some compromise or understanding with the Iranian regime.

That compromise might involve, Janice, everything from unlocking tens of billions of dollars of frozen Iranian funds, the lifting of broad sanctions that had been crushing the Iranian economy for over a decade,

Possibly some understanding about a future role or involvement for Iran in the management of the Straits of Hormuz.

And you can add on top of all that, the reality is that some of the key objectives of the war, not only for the United States, but for Israel, most notably the destruction of

the ballistic missile program and a clear declaration from Iran that it would give up funding proxies in the region who are primarily directed against Israel.

None of that seems to be accomplished.

And now this, in a sense, major strategic campaign, military campaign underway in Southern Lebanon to create this buffer zone to the Latani River

is now in doubt.

So where does Bibi Netanyahu find himself strategically and politically a month or more now after the start of this war?

Amazing.

And Janice, just as we wrap up this, the first complimentary free section of Friday Focus, given...

The fact that this is turning into or it has aspects of a strategic defeat for Benjamin Netanyahu, that he's not seeing the political gains that he had hoped.

The recent polling in Israel suggests that his coalition would not no longer form a majority.