A new memorandum tied to the Iran-U.S. ceasefire is affecting IDF rules of engagement in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are now more restricted in launching offensive fire. Even so, rocket fire toward northern Israel continues, and U.S. officials say Israel will retain full freedom to act against terror threats if needed.
Channel 14 military correspondent Hillel Biton Rosen said frontline troops have lost part of the protective umbrella they had until only a few days ago. “Right now our soldiers are not getting the protection they had until two days ago, they have no ability to initiate fire,” he said. He added, “When you take a soldier on the battlefield and remove his ability to fire, you take away his best cover.”
The practical change is a shift from proactive attacks to responding only when a target is identified with certainty. Over the past two months, about 1,300 militants were killed through fire on suspicious movement, but now only individual militants confirmed as armed near the troops are authorized to be struck. Officers in the field are reportedly comparing the current situation to the “Black Friday” incident in Rafah, warning of similar interim dangers. Biton Rosen said Hezbollah “does not respect the paper signed by the agreement, they do not see themselves as a party to this agreement.”
Political correspondent Tamir Morag said the diplomatic track with Washington remains active. He quoted U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee saying Israel does not need Iranian approval to defend itself, and reported that President Donald Trump understands the IDF will continue operating against Hezbollah in Lebanon when necessary. Trump has reportedly said the U.S.-Iran agreement can survive even a minor war in Lebanon. Separately, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on The Patriots that Israel does not intend to withdraw soon, or at all in the near term, from southern Lebanon, stating, “As long as Hezbollah is not disarmed, we will remain in southern Lebanon.”
