The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is more fragile than ever. Despite U.S. efforts to broker an agreement between the two countries, Hezbollah appears to be disregarding the arrangement and continues firing at Israeli military forces and communities in northern Israel.
The number of Israeli soldiers killed since the ceasefire began has risen to 17. In addition, a civilian contractor employed by Israel's Defense Ministry was killed in a drone strike.
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from members of the security cabinet to order the Israel Defense Forces to expand its strikes. However, Netanyahu is still giving diplomacy a chance and is adhering to U.S. President Donald Trump's request that Israel refrain from carrying out strikes in Beirut.
An Israeli official familiar with the details said Saturday that it is too early to write off the ceasefire.
"We always wanted a ceasefire. What changed was that during the negotiations, the Lebanese told us behind closed doors, 'We can get Hezbollah to stop firing,'" the official said. "The ceasefire was based on that assumption, with the understanding that Hezbollah would halt its attacks and that 2,000 operatives — including members of the Radwan Force — who had moved south of the Litani River would return north."
"After we announced the agreement, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem publicly declared that he did not accept it," the official continued. "But in practice, there has been less fire directed at northern communities. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has, for the first time, made unusually blunt remarks against Iran and Iranian involvement. What he said was unprecedented — it sounded as though it came from Israel's talking points."
"We would not write off the ceasefire," the official added. "Now Lebanon must deliver on what it said — that it has control over Hezbollah. Publicly, the terrorist organization does not want to appear as though it is taking orders from Lebanon or Israel, but in practice it has reduced the pace of its launches. We will know more in the coming days."
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday, a drone infiltration alert was activated in the northern Israeli community of Margaliot, near the Lebanese border.
"For us, a ceasefire means an end to offensive operations," the official said. "We will stop conducting offensive activity and move to a defensive posture, acting only against emerging threats. If we identify an imminent attack, we will strike it, regardless of where it is — including Beirut. But offensive operations in the south will stop. We are not moving forces."
The official also described a new component of the arrangement: a pilot zone in a village selected jointly with Lebanon.
"In that village, where the IDF has already operated, the Lebanese army will complete the dismantling process and remain there to demonstrate that it has not lost its grip on the area," the official said. "Once we see, according to various criteria, that it is working, we will expand the pilot program to additional villages until Lebanon shows it can control the entire area."
The official noted that, unlike the ceasefire reached at the end of 2025 during the Biden administration, Hezbollah members will not be part of the monitoring mechanism this time.
"It was agreed that a vetting process would be implemented to ensure that anyone serving in the coordination headquarters has no connection whatsoever to the terrorist organization and operates solely on behalf of the Lebanese army."
Israeli officials are preparing for the possibility that Hezbollah will continue to publicly reject the terms while effectively observing the ceasefire. The fifth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled for June 22.
"Until then, there is still time to save the ceasefire," the official said. "We will also learn more about the negotiations between the United States and Iran over a nuclear agreement. That could also affect the talks with Lebanon."
Gamla was critically wounded by an FPV drone strike in Lebanon overnight Thursday and was evacuated to a hospital, where he died Saturday.
Yaari was killed in an accidental discharge incident that is under investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.