The IDF said on Saturday afternoon that it had received instructions from the political echelon to halt fire in Lebanon, but its troops will remain deployed in the southern buffer area and will not withdraw at this stage. According to the military, the ceasefire does not require a pullback from southern Lebanon, and forces will continue operating in the front defense zone known as the “yellow line.”
Within that area, troops will keep working to remove threats and strike terrorist infrastructure, as long as it is done in line with the ceasefire rules. The army said the purpose is to protect communities in northern Israel, and that it will continue to act wherever a threat remains. Outside the yellow line, no offensive activity is being carried out except in cases where an immediate threat must be neutralized.
The IDF also said it remains on heightened alert because of threats from Iran, while the security establishment monitors developments in the broader context of diplomatic contacts between the United States and Iran. Officials said the forces are prepared both for defense and, if needed, for a renewed round of fighting.
Operationally, the army is still active in Tebnine, where it is dealing with a major underground tunnel network more than a kilometer long. Dozens of Hezbollah militants are reportedly surrounded there, and the fighting has taken place both above and below ground. The IDF also continues operations on Mount Bofor, which it says had previously been used to fire at northern Israeli communities, and it is holding positions in areas it has already captured, including Bofor, Arnoun and Tebnine.
