At a time when indications are increasing that an American-Iranian understanding is approaching that may be directly reflected on the Lebanese front, the Israeli army is pushing to exploit what it considers the “last opportunity” to expand its operations in Lebanon, amid fears within the security establishment of imminent American pressure that may force a halt to the attacks.
According to a report by journalist Nir Dvory on the Israeli Channel 12, the Israeli army recommended that the political level intensify air force raids and expand ground activity by carrying out incursions and raids behind the “yellow line” in southern Lebanon, in light of estimates that Washington may soon put pressure on Israel to stop its military operations.
The Israeli army considers that prolonging the current situation is not a correct step, given its direct repercussions on the residents of northern Israel, and therefore, over the past two days, it has already begun to raise the pace of fire in a limited manner in preparation for the possibility of expanding operations.
On the other hand, the Israeli army estimates that any additional escalation may push Hezbollah to increase the frequency of its attacks towards northern Israel, opening the door to a more heated phase on both sides of the border.
The report indicated that the Israeli Air Force launched a raid on Beirut yesterday for the first time in 22 days, stressing that the attack led to the assassination of the person responsible for the missile file in Hezbollah. He also revealed that 7 prominent field commanders in the party were killed during the last two weeks, and they were among the figures who directly managed military operations against the Israeli army in the recent period.
In parallel, the Israeli army believes that the government has failed so far to separate the various arenas, especially between the Iranian file and the Lebanese front, while the main issue from the Israeli point of view remains related to the amount of time that the United States will give Israel to continue its operations inside Lebanon.
This trend comes in conjunction with growing talk about a draft understanding between Washington and Tehran that may ultimately lead to American pressure on Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon.
The report quoted Israeli officials as saying that US President Donald Trump has not yet given his final approval to the proposed understanding, because he is still awaiting the position of the other party.
The officials added: “The negotiators may have reached understandings and common points with the Iranian team, but they are not the ones who make the final decision.”
They also confirmed that Israel has no indications yet that Mojtaba Khamenei has agreed to the proposed formula, considering that the most likely scenario is his conditional approval or his seeking to gain more time and drown the negotiations in more procrastination.
This debate within Israel reflects the extent of concern that any potential US-Iranian agreement will turn into a pressure factor that restricts the freedom of Israeli military movement in Lebanon, at a moment when the military establishment believes that the time is still appropriate to expand operations before new boundaries of confrontation are drawn.
