Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the IDF to halt fire in southern Lebanon, according to reports published over the weekend. The decision came after a day of heavy exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, and after a tank disaster in which four IDF soldiers were killed, including Lt. Col. Dor Gdalia Ben Shimhon, the commander of Battalion 52 in the Armored Corps.
Senior IDF officers reportedly objected to the order, but the army remains on high alert because of threats from Iran and continues operating in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials stressed that the ceasefire does not require an Israeli withdrawal. IDF troops are still holding the so-called yellow line and operating there, with full freedom to act against emerging threats.
During the fighting on Saturday, Hezbollah claimed 111 of its operatives were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Israeli sources said the ceasefire terms allow the IDF to stay in southern Lebanon and keep destroying infrastructure and acting against threats. One senior Israeli official said, “There is nothing new. The ceasefire allows the IDF to continue destroying infrastructure and act against emerging threats.”
The basic rule, officials said, is that if Hezbollah does not attack, the IDF will not attack, but if Hezbollah does attack, Israel will respond. The IDF also reportedly controls the Ali Taher ridge near Nabatieh, a Hezbollah stronghold, where dozens of Hezbollah fighters are said to be trapped without a way out. A U.S. diplomatic message passed to Iran said Israel does not plan to escalate in Lebanon despite the deaths of the four soldiers. Netanyahu said, “My instruction is clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah.” He added that Israel will remain in the security belt in southern Lebanon as long as necessary, and the Home Front Command instructions for northern Israel have not changed.
