Israel has created "buffer zones" in Gaza, Syria, and now Lebanon, marking a strategic shift after the attacks of October 7, 2023 that put the country in a semi-permanent state of war. The move acknowledges that Iran's leadership, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and militias across the region cannot be eliminated. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a pause in fighting while they negotiate a broader end to the war, but Israel will continue its campaign against Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Israel has ordered the area's hundreds of thousands of residents to flee and is in the early stages of destroying homes in Shi'ite Muslim villages believed to be used by Hezbollah. Once the buffer against Hezbollah is secured, Israel will have seized or occupied territory in Lebanon.