Following the formal signing of a memorandum of understanding in the U.S.-Iran agreement, which also included an end to the war in Lebanon, the IDF on Thursday presented the map of the area where its forces are operating in southern Lebanon, about 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory. The maritime security zone extends the land security zone and reaches the sea on a bearing of 280 degrees, in line with a political decision. The army said operational activity is continuing, warned that approaching the area is dangerous, and urged the Lebanese army to coordinate with the IDF and Lebanese civilians to stay away.
The next steps are still being discussed in the political track of the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, and the teams are due to meet again next week. IDF Spokesperson said, “IDF forces have established themselves in their area of operations in southern Lebanon and continue to act to remove threats and improve protection for residents of the north.”
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are worried that U.S. President Donald Trump may order the immediate withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanon. According to the report, Jerusalem is pushing a plan to thin out troop levels while keeping the IDF in strategic positions. On Wednesday, after the G7 summit in France, Trump said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself but said it should act with restraint. He also criticized the IDF’s conduct in Lebanon and said he had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Netanyahu gets excited sometimes. We have a disagreement about Lebanon, I told him you don’t need to bring down a building every time.”
Separately, the IDF cleared for publication the name of a soldier killed in southern Lebanon, Rס"r (res.) Alexander Filin, 29, from Haifa, a fighter in Division 36, who was killed by an explosive device in the Litani area. Seven other troops were wounded, including the deputy division commander and a reserve battalion commander, one reserve soldier in moderate condition, and a reserve NCO, two reserve soldiers, and a female soldier in light condition. The wounded were evacuated to hospital and their families were notified. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on Wednesday while the unit was operating on foot in the Litani sector; the initial inquiry says the force was hit by an enemy explosive device, and the rest is still under investigation. The IDF later struck terror infrastructure with artillery, after already saying on Wednesday that five fighters had been wounded by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon, including one seriously, two moderately, and two lightly. An initial probe found that minutes after the first attack, while troops were preparing to evacuate the wounded, Hezbollah launched a second explosive drone that detonated on the evacuation vehicle and caused additional casualties.
