‘Active pause’ – US quietly backing IDF operations against Hezbollah during ceasefire – report

Officials say US declaration of 45-day ceasefire extension is a fiction, as the Trump administration quietly backs “active pause” allowing Israel to continue large-scale operations against Hezbollah.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States’ decision to extend the ceasefire framework in Lebanon for another 45 days has effectively given Israel additional time to continue military operations against Hezbollah, according to an Israel Hayom report published Monday.

The report said the US announcement came while Israeli forces were carrying out extensive operations in Lebanon, including after Golani troops crossed the Litani River and as Hezbollah was attacking IDF soldiers with explosive drones.

Sources cited in the report described the arrangement not as a true ceasefire but as an “active pause” that allows Israel to keep targeting Hezbollah threats in southern Lebanon.

According to the report, officials in the Israeli government view Washington’s move as tacit approval for another 45 days of Israeli action against Hezbollah.

The article said that behind the formal language of a ceasefire, Israel is preserving freedom of action along the northern front.

The report said the ceasefire label remains useful to Washington, Beirut and Jerusalem because it maintains a diplomatic framework for ongoing talks while avoiding a formal declaration that the fighting has resumed.

But on the ground, Israel Hayom said, IDF forces continue to operate, and Hezbollah is still trying to wear down Israeli troops.

Israeli officials compared the current situation in Lebanon to the Gaza Strip, where Israel has continued targeted operations during the shaky ceasefire.

The report also pointed to growing frustration among residents of northern Israel, many of whom have spent years under threat from Hezbollah.

The debate is also playing out inside the Israeli government.

According to the report, some ministers favor moving quickly toward an agreement and shortening the interim period, while others want to expand the campaign against Hezbollah until the Lebanese government is able to push the group back more effectively.

Some also support further action against Iran to prevent Hezbollah from rearming, even as the Trump administration continues its efforts to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.