Israel has a fully prepared military plan to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon, but is holding off for now as strategic calculations shift amid developments elsewhere in the region, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

According to a sensitive session of Israel’s security cabinet convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his return from talks in Washington, a strike plan against Hezbollah has been developed and is considered “operationally ready.” But officials said the main question now is when to act, not whether.

“Were it not for the latest developments in Iran… there might have been little hesitation in executing the attack plan against Hezbollah,” the Ynet news site reported, citing Israeli security sources.

Israeli defense officials told Yedioth Ahronoth that the plan was drawn up by the Israeli army and that Netanyahu effectively received a “green light” from U.S. President Donald Trump to pursue military action against Hezbollah if necessary. The sources said the operational preparations are complete and that timing is now the critical factor.

Despite not being disarmed, the group’s capabilities have been significantly degraded, Israeli assessments say. The army estimates that Hezbollah is operating at roughly 20 percent of its former strength, with diminished ability to conduct large-scale cross-border raids and with fewer offensive units such as the elite Radwan Force posing a direct threat.

Strategists in Jerusalem see two competing imperatives: whether to act now while Hezbollah is perceived to be weakened or to wait for further shifts in the regional landscape, particularly in Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer. Ongoing unrest in Iran has tied strategic planners’ attention and may have delayed Israeli action against Hezbollah.

With the ceasefire monitoring mechanisms and diplomatic channels still in play, some Israeli officials appear to favor a policy of sustained pressure — through targeted operations in Lebanon — rather than a large-scale offensive that could escalate into broader conflict, the report added.