ISRAEL PERSPECTIVE

Jerusalem views the capture of Beaufort as a symbolic repair. The Jerusalem Post titles that 'the Israeli flag at Beaufort tells a new story' and quotes Netanyahu in full — 'We have broken the barrier of fear. We are operating on all fronts — in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon.' Defense Minister Israel Katz cites the 44th anniversary of the 1982 battle and notes that it is the same Golani Brigade that has returned. Patriotism is explicit and assumed.

But behind the pride, Israeli press documents precisely the diplomatic sequence that cost Netanyahu a public relations blow. The Jerusalem Post details the Trump-Netanyahu call: Trump says that troops have already been withdrawn from Beirut, Netanyahu responds with a statement that 'if Hezbollah does not stop hitting our cities and citizens, Israel will attack terrorist targets in Beirut.' The Lebanese embassy in Washington confirms via Axios, citing Nabih Berri's advisor Ali Hamdan, that Hezbollah has accepted the American framework. However, an anonymous Israeli source tells Axios that Netanyahu 'is unlikely to accept.'

Haaretz takes it further and recounts the frustration of the right-wing: Itamar Ben-Gvir calls on Netanyahu to 'say no to our friend' Trump and attack Hezbollah anyway. The Israeli claimed toll is stark: 24 soldiers and 4 civilians killed since March 2, more than 20 soldiers killed by Hezbollah drones since the April 17 ceasefire. The Israeli narrative combines military victory at Beaufort, symbolic pride in the Golani, and concern that Trump may deprive the IDF of the most politically gratifying target — Dahiyeh.