JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Frustration within Israel’s security establishment is currently at a peak, according to a report by Maariv military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi.

On the one hand, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad have delivered everything that was asked of them. Since October 7, they have fulfilled, and in some cases exceeded, their missions across every front: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Judea and Samaria. The military achievements, however, were supposed to be translated into concrete political gains by Israel’s leadership. According to many figures within the security establishment, that has not happened. They describe the political echelon as dysfunctional and paralyzed.

Correspondent Yossi Yehoshua quoted a senior Israeli official who said last night:

“If Israel had known in advance that this would be the final outcome, there is serious doubt that we would have launched Operation Roaring Lion.”

They point to Lebanon as a prime example. Hezbollah has suffered severe blows. Its senior command structure has been damaged, it has lost thousands of fighters, reportedly approaching ten thousand fatalities, and nearly twice that number have been wounded. The terrorist organization is under intense financial pressure, has lost vast territory in southern Lebanon, and has seen entire military infrastructures dismantled. It is also facing pressure from the new Syrian regime, while public opinion in Lebanon has increasingly turned against it.

On top of all this, the Lebanese government has entered direct negotiations with Israel. According to these sources, there are relatively few disagreements between Israel and Lebanon, and a deal could be reached as early as next week.

Yet, they argue, the Israeli government has failed to capitalize on these developments. Instead of having Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, or other senior ministers lead the negotiations, Israel reportedly sent its ambassador to the United States and a brigadier general to conduct the talks.

Security officials criticize this decision, saying it projects a lack of seriousness and fails to send a strong message to the region. In their view, rather than embarrassing Hezbollah and Iran, Israel has achieved the opposite. They argue that the political leadership’s lack of urgency and determination enabled Iran to take ownership of the Lebanese issue in discussions with the Americans.

Officials within the security establishment also say they warned against placing all of Israel’s hopes on a single factor: President Donald Trump. According to one security source, they presented analyses of Trump’s personality and cautioned that he could lose patience and reverse course quickly. Those warnings, they say, went unheeded.

“There is no doubt that there are people inside the White House influencing these moves,” one security official said. “If you ask me, I seriously doubt that President Trump even knows what is really in the agreement. Yesterday was his 80th birthday. He celebrated, drank, and who knows whether he read the agreement’s clauses. He was somewhere else.”

Within the security establishment, officials say that Beirut is currently largely off-limits for Israeli military operations, as are areas beyond the so-called Yellow Line. Referring to a recent strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district, one security source said that Israel had suffered three attacks that day which struck Israeli territory. According to the source, the target was legitimate: a Hezbollah communications officer responsible for coordinating command-and-control networks. The source further claimed that the officer’s son, who was present, was also a senior Hezbollah operative, and that the officer’s wife was likewise considered a legitimate target. “Israel must send the message that it will not compromise on its right to preserve its sovereignty and defend itself,” the source said.

The IDF and security establishment are now waiting to see the final text of the agreement expected to be signed on Friday. The current understanding is that the IDF will be permitted to remain along the Yellow Line in Lebanon and maintain a forward-defense posture similar to the model currently employed in Gaza. Israeli forces would continue exposing Hezbollah infrastructure in the area between the border and the Yellow Line, including apartments used to store weapons, tunnels, launch pits, and other facilities.

The IDF also assesses that Hezbollah may shift toward guerrilla tactics. Rather than immediately relying on anti-tank missiles or explosive drones, the organization may focus on planting roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices in areas where Israeli forces operate. Security officials believe Hezbollah’s goal would be to inflict significant casualties while avoiding actions that would provide Israel with a clear justification for major retaliation. The organization could argue that any explosives discovered or detonated had been planted before the war began.

The IDF and security establishment hope that Israel can persuade the United States not to insist on a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon within the 60-day timetable reportedly demanded by Iran as part of the agreement. Whether the political leadership can achieve that objective remains unclear.

According to one security official, Prime Minister Netanyahu now finds himself increasingly isolated, with few close advisers remaining around him. The most significant figure he relied upon, they say, was Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, his military secretary, who was recently appointed head of the Mossad.

“Roman was almost a second chief of staff,” one official said. “He was much more than a military secretary. He entered the office and ran things with a firm hand. The prime minister consulted with him regularly. Roman has many accomplishments to his credit, and he was treated unfairly. He is ‘Soviet’ in the best sense of the word—thorough, professional, and highly educated. Whether he is the right fit for the Mossad, I don’t know. But he unquestionably helped the prime minister over the past two years. Now the prime minister is almost alone. He doesn’t really have anyone helping him make decisions.”

Asked how the current situation can be resolved, officials within the security establishment say the political leadership must fundamentally change its approach. They argue that Israel should pursue a peace agreement with Lebanon and elevate negotiations to the level of the prime minister and senior cabinet ministers rather than leaving them primarily to officials and diplomats. They also contend that Israel must fight to secure the passage of Gulf natural-gas pipelines to the Mediterranean through Israeli territory and work toward reaching understandings with all Gulf states under the framework of the Abraham Accords.