TEL AVIV—Israeli troops stationed in Lebanon are increasingly caught between U.S. limits on Israel’s military operations and domestic pressure to fight on against Iran-backed Hezbollah, leaving them in a no man’s land that risks a resumption of the fighting that could derail the truce between Washington and Tehran.
On Tuesday, Israeli troops in southern Lebanon struck twice at what they said were Hezbollah militants threatening their positions around the Ali al-Taher ridge, home to what Israel says is an extensive underground Hezbollah fortress.
An Israeli offensive to capture that ridge last week nearly threw off a planned round of talks between the U.S. and Iran to wind down their war, leading President Trump and Vice President JD Vance to rebuke Israel for what they called a heavy-handed approach in Lebanon.
Israel is under pressure from the U.S. to withdraw troops, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to maintain a security zone inside Lebanon, people familiar with the matter said. One proposal is for Israel to implement pilot projects where its troops pull back from limited areas in southern Lebanon and are replaced by the Lebanese army, one of the people said. The U.S. endorses that approach, a senior American official said.
