Report: Iran protests may be delaying Israeli attack on Hezbollah

After talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior security chiefs to “present the understandings reached in Washington and review intelligence efforts, attack planning, and readiness for a possible strike in Lebanon,” Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper has reported.

Netanyahu presented “the understandings and agreements reached in Washington regarding the continued freedom of action for Israel across all arenas: Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen and the West Bank,” it said.

However, the protests in Iran “are at this stage the central factor shaping decision-making in Jerusalem,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.

“Senior officials note that toppling a regime in a country such as Iran requires multiple components coming together, and that the situation has not yet reached that point. Still, the evolving reality forces Israel to remain prepared for unexpected developments and extreme scenarios,” the newspaper added.

“Were it not for the latest developments in Iran, there might have been little hesitation in executing the attack plan against Hezbollah, which has already been prepared and is considered operationally ready. Netanyahu has effectively received a green light from President Trump on the matter, and the IDF (Israeli army) has made clear that from its perspective, the preparations are complete, leaving the decision largely one of timing,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.

It added: “As a result, the central question facing decision-makers in Jerusalem is no longer whether to act, but when: whether to wait for further developments in Iran, Hezbollah’s strategic ally, or to exploit the current window of opportunity, potentially continuing a policy of sustained strikes in Lebanon as the organization refrains from responding even to the killing of senior figures in its military leadership.”