Israel Signals It Will Keep Operating in Lebanon Despite U.S.-Iran Deal

Israeli officials said the new U.S.-Iran agreement will not change the army’s operational rules in Lebanon. According to security and political sources familiar with the matter, the IDF has been instructed by the political leadership to maintain control of the security zone, continue holding the yellow line, and remove threats even beyond it if needed.

The article says direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are continuing, and the next round of negotiating teams is expected next week to discuss arrangements. At the same time, officials say the maritime security zone will be treated as a direct extension of the land-based security area. The line is being projected into the sea at 280 degrees, with the goal of creating a continuous defensive belt.

Security sources stressed that the IDF does not intend to withdraw from the land area despite the agreement with Washington, and that a closed sea zone will also remain under Israeli control. They said the military will keep operating according to operational needs on the ground, both to protect northern Israeli communities and to eliminate threats to troops.

The officials added that Israel will act against threats to civilians and security forces even if they are identified beyond the security zone, which they called the yellow line. They also said recent Iranian threats of direct fire at Israel over continued activity in southern Lebanon have not changed the operational picture. The security establishment says the activity is continuing as normal, warns that any civilian approach to the zone poses an immediate danger to life, and is urging the Lebanese Army to coordinate fully with the IDF while telling Lebanese residents to stay away entirely.