Tel Aviv / PNN /
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has received a “green light” from US President Donald Trump to launch a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to a plan prepared by the Israeli army, which said it has completed its preparations and that the decision to carry out such an attack is primarily a matter of timing.
Following his return from a meeting with Trump last week, Netanyahu held what were described as “restricted and sensitive deliberations” with the heads of the security services, during which he reviewed the “understandings and agreements” reached in Washington regarding “Israel’s freedom of action on all fronts: Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen and the West Bank,” the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday.
The paper said Israel’s security establishment is preparing for the possibility of military operations in each of these arenas, some to be carried out gradually and others simultaneously across multiple fronts. Developments in protests in Iran were described at this stage as “the central factor influencing decision-making in Israel”.
According to the report, the Israeli military intelligence directorate is focusing on Iran at three main levels: closely monitoring developments and forming an accurate assessment of the situation “so as not to miss an extreme scenario as happened when the Assad regime fell”; continuing to gather intelligence on high-value targets in Iran, an effort ongoing since the end of the war against Iran in June in preparation for another conflict; and developing capabilities to provide early warning of large-scale ballistic missile launches against Israel.
The newspaper said Israeli officials believe that just as Israel drew lessons from the war with Iran, Tehran has also concluded that a first strike is “a critically important element in determining the outcome of a battle”. As a result, Israel is focusing not only on Iranian intentions but primarily on capabilities.
Israel’s air force is reportedly working on offensive plans targeting Iranian combat systems and drones, as well as Iran’s air defence network at all levels, while drawing lessons from the previous war and integrating new weapons, including laser systems.
The report added that “were it not for developments in Iran, it is likely there would have been no hesitation, and the attack plan against Hezbollah, which is now ready, would already have been implemented”.
Israeli assessments suggest Hezbollah’s capabilities have declined to about 20 percent of their pre-war level, despite the group not being disarmed. However, the ability of Hezbollah’s Radwan force to carry out a ground incursion into Israel remains unchanged, while Israeli air defence capabilities, including laser systems, are said to provide an effective response to such scenarios.
The newspaper concluded that the central question is not whether Israel will launch a new war, but when, pending developments in Iran or the exploitation of what is described as the current “window of opportunity”, possibly alongside the continuation of daily air strikes in Lebanon without restrictions, while Hezbollah refrains from responding despite the killing of its military commanders.
