The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah’s first operation on Friday was carried out minutes after midnight, targeting the Shraga military base, the administrative headquarters of the Golani Brigade command in north Akka with a salvo of rockets.

Israeli Reserve Major General Israel Ziv, former head of the Operations Directorate, warned that “Israel will be operating on limited munitions if a settlement [with Lebanon] is not reached,” adding, “Winter is approaching, and it’s not in Israel’s interest to get bogged down in Lebanon.”

The Israeli general noted that “Hezbollah is regaining strength, which means Israel’s leverage in any political agreement is dwindling. What Israel could achieve yesterday, it can no longer achieve today or tomorrow.” Moreover, he stressed, “Netanyahu is very weak and paralyzed when it comes to the Americans.”

Ziv also admitted, “Unless Hezbollah is granted certain concessions or achievements, it will have no interest in a settlement, and we won’t have anyone left to negotiate with,” adding that “Naim Qassem will not declare surrender—that won’t happen, just as it didn’t happen with Hamas.”

“Israel is paying a heavy price, and the battlefield won’t wait for Trump,” Ziv explained, before concluding that “in three months (by the time Trump is officially inaugurated), any military gains may be lost.”