From Lebanon to Iran: Israel recalculates its next strike

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israel has reordered its priorities following talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, with Tel Aviv appearing to place a potential strike on Iran at the top of its agenda.

The Lebanese front, which had dominated developments over the past 24 hours, has receded, with discussions now centering on two main scenarios. 

The first envisions targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon to weaken the group ahead of any strike on Iran, aiming to neutralize its ability to respond. 

The second involves striking Iran first, amid concerns Tehran could launch a preemptive attack against Israel.

Neither scenario rules out action against Lebanon. The developments coincided with a meeting of the monitoring mechanism, during which Israel insisted the talks exclude any civilian representation and focus solely on ways to disarm and weaken Hezbollah. 

This came despite growing assertions among security and military officials that an attack on Lebanon has become a matter of timing rather than intent.

The Israeli military has meanwhile announced it is prepared for both offensive and defensive operations across all fronts. 

The air force is intensifying preparations for a potential strike on Iran, while ground units and the Northern Command are finalizing operational plans for an attack on Lebanon, pending orders to proceed.

At the same time, Israeli news outlets cited multiple officials as saying Netanyahu has received a U.S. green light to target Lebanon. However, they added that developments related to the Iranian file, along with decisions expected from the Lebanese government on Thursday, will be decisive.

According to an Israeli security official, attack plans spanning Iran and Lebanon are ready, and the cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday will determine the course of action based on operational and political considerations, in coordination with Washington.