Ceasefire questions leave Israel wary of what comes next
Messages from the Israeli government following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Iran ceasefire announcement on Tuesday were few and brief.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a message issued in English before dawn on Wednesday, voiced support for the initiative. “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the United States, Israel and countries in the region,” Netanyahu wrote, adding pointedly, “The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed that Israel’s war against Hezbollah continues unabated. For Israel, it is difficult to interpret the surprise American move: whether it reflects fatigue in Washington over the length of the conflict or a sophisticated tactical step that, when the truce expires, could lead to a more forceful effort aimed at defeating a terrorist and brutal ideology.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday night that the ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Iran the previous day was coordinated with Jerusalem, describing it as a “way station” and warning that “Operation Roaring Lion” could resume “at any necessary moment.”
Trump spoke with Netanyahu just minutes before announcing the ceasefire. Only hours later, he reiterated that the issue of enriched uranium must still be resolved, with the material ultimately under American control, and that the central issues of missiles and proxy forces remain unchanged.
At the same time, Pakistani mediators conveyed that Iran insists on retaining the right to continue enriching uranium. The question of Hezbollah also remains contested: from Tehran’s perspective, an Israeli halt to operations against its principal proxy is part of the price of any arrangement. Israel said it had no intention of accepting such terms, and Trump later clarified that Lebanon was not included in the agreement.
The situation remains volatile. While Trump has spoken of victory, Netanyahu understands that any perception of retreat by the American-Israeli front could embolden the totalitarian Islamist enemy facing Israel. Israel must therefore seek a path that avoids strengthening its adversaries while maintaining close coordination with its most important ally.
The Iranian regime remains a mortal enemy whose declared objective has long been Israel’s destruction, accompanied by a nuclear program that has steadily advanced toward weapons capability.
Critics, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, argue that the current situation reflects a failure of Netanyahu’s policies. Yet this government has demonstrated its determination to confront the threat directly—and two weeks in the Middle East can significantly alter the strategic picture.
Israeli society longs for a return to normal life—for children to go to school without fear of sirens, for families to move freely, for airports to reopen. Some hope that courageous Iranians opposed to the regime will take to the streets, raising the possibility of internal change.
Israel understands, however, that while much of the world may indulge in hopes of calm, Iran’s leadership is likely to use every moment of the coming weeks to prepare for renewed confrontation. Celebrations in Tehran are not expressions of a desire for peace, but signs of new mobilisation.
Israel has seen such scenes before: crowds celebrating victories never achieved. Even after the Six-Day War in 1967, Egypt proclaimed success; even in devastated Gaza, Hamas declared triumph.
Much remains unresolved. While the ceasefire holds in relation to Iran, Israel continues to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon. And as the debate continues over the benefits and risks of the pause in the war, Israeli aircraft have continued to strike targets as far as Dahieh in southern Beirut, while Hezbollah missiles and drones continue to target northern Israel.
It is, for Israel, a very strange ceasefire.
