Israeli reports revealed an escalating state of frustration within the Israeli military establishment due to the American restrictions imposed on military operations in Lebanon, at a time when Tel Aviv considers that Hezbollah’s drone attacks continue at a daily pace without an Israeli response of the scale demanded by the army.
According to a report by journalists Itai Blumenthal, Gili Cohen and Roi Sharon in the “Israeli Broadcasting Corporation,” the United States’ desire to maintain a “ceasefire” on the northern front, along with accounts linked to Iran, prevents the Israeli army from carrying out broader operations against “Hezbollah” as it was planning.
The report indicated that the current reality, where the Israelis accuse Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the ceasefire, raises a state of restlessness and anger within the Israeli army leadership.
An Israeli military official told the channel: “Much more must be done. Israeli sovereignty is violated daily. The Israeli army exercises very great restraint because we live within understandings and agreements with the United States and the Lebanese government. We cannot accept the current reality without the ability to respond.”
The report also revealed that the US administration opposes Israel carrying out raids on buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and therefore such attacks “are not currently on the table.”
According to an Israeli official, US President Donald Trump is “waiting for a response from Iran and losing his patience,” while the US administration does not want to give Tehran an excuse to reject or postpone the US deal proposal through a broad Israeli operation in Beirut.
On the other hand, on Tuesday, the Israeli army expanded its operations inside southern Lebanon, but an Israeli security official acknowledged that the current operation “will hurt Hezbollah, but it will not stop the suicide marches.”
This recognition comes at a time when warnings are increasing inside Israel that Hezbollah’s marches are turning into a strategic threat that is difficult to contain, amid a clear discrepancy between the Israeli army’s desire for escalation and the American calculations related to managing the regional confrontation with Iran.
