The Israeli newspaper Maariv acknowledged that “Israel’s situation is worse than it was before Roaring Lion on all fronts.”

“We should start from the end: as of now, Israel is in a less favorable position than it was expected to be. It is in a worse situation regarding Lebanon and Gaza than it was on February 27 of this year,” the paper said.

It added that “the contradictory statements of US President Donald Trump are confusing army officers."

It quoted an Israeli army officer as saying, “You read a post of his indicating he’s on an aggressive approach, then two minutes later you hear him in an interview saying the exact opposite. This is a very complex situation. You don’t know where you’re going or what the direction is.”

The paper also noted that “there are restrictions imposed on the Israeli army by the political leadership.”

“Israel’s government is not currently the one making decisions regarding the rules of engagement in Lebanon; rather, it is the White House in Washington,” it added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Lebanon and "Israel" following a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli officials in the Oval Office.

Multi-faceted dramatic shift

In another context, Maariv pointed out that recent days have witnessed a dramatic shift in the security situation across Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Furthermore, Maariv claimed that "the security and military establishment notes that Hamas in Gaza is increasing its activity against the Israeli army along the yellow line, while simultaneously working at a rapid pace to restore its control on the ground.”

It noted that estimates in “Israel” suggest the question is not whether fighting will resume; rather, it is a matter of when and on what scale.

It concluded sarcastically, “The question is how much Trump will allow it, as he has not yet decided what he really wants.”

Source:Websites