Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump formally signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, the IDF on Thursday published a map showing where its forces are now operating in southern Lebanon. The army said it has deployed in a security zone about 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory, has consolidated its positions there, and is continuing operations to remove threats and improve protection for northern Israel.
Israeli officials in Jerusalem hope the agreement Trump is pursuing with Iran does not come into force. Their current assumption is that the next 60 days of negotiations will not produce a final deal, and that Israel must maintain a foothold in Lebanon לפחות until November, after the U.S. midterm elections, when a new window may open for renewed action on the Iranian issue.
The deployment includes the Ali Tahar ridge, which gives control over the Nabatieh area, an important Hezbollah center of gravity, and the village of Tebnine, where the IDF has operated in recent days. In some places troops are stationed up to 10 kilometers deep and in others about 6 kilometers, with the layout differing slightly from the so-called Yellow Line. Southern Command analyzed the terrain and directed the forces accordingly, aiming to maximize observation and fire control.
The IDF said no return of residents is currently planned to the villages it controls in southern Lebanon. It will continue to hold the security zone, eliminate threats to troops and to Israeli civilians identified beyond it, and preserve its freedom of action. The remaining steps are still being discussed in the direct Israeli-Lebanese diplomatic channel, with the teams set to meet again next week. Israel also says the maritime security zone is an extension of the land buffer, and the army warned that approaching it is dangerous. The IDF called on the Red Cross to coordinate with it and urged Lebanese civilians to stay away.
