The military operation was designed to pressure Hezbollah and create facts on the ground ahead of a possible deal, but the government's parallel decision to scale back troop deployments has undermined that strategy — leaving one division to shoulder the burden while the enemy watches.

Senior IDF officers are increasingly frustrated by the lack of transparency from the political leadership on diplomatic efforts. Their primary fear is that a U.S.-Iran deal could force an abrupt halt to operations, leaving troops to withdraw under fire — a scenario as dangerous as the advance itself.

Hezbollah has already adapted, firing deeper into Israel and signaling a new equation: the farther Israeli forces push north, the deeper Hezbollah's fire will reach into the home front. The ceasefire on paper bears no resemblance to the reality on the ground, where commanders say the fighting continues and the threat remains present.