Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that there has never been any restriction on IDF troops in Lebanon when acting to remove threats. His remarks came after reports of instructions to hold fire in southern Lebanon, which sparked criticism among soldiers in the field.
Katz said that after the attack on Israeli forces, the army responded forcefully, “neutralized a very large number of Hezbollah terrorists” and struck many terrorist infrastructure sites. He was referring to the tank disaster in which Battalion 52 commander Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon was killed. According to the statement, Israel’s response included extensive strikes across southern Lebanon.
He emphasized that “the preservation of our soldiers’ and civilians’ lives is an absolute top priority.” Katz added that all of the IDF’s gains in the Lebanon campaign are being preserved, with forces deployed in the security zone on Lebanon’s yellow line and operating inward against terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.
Katz also said the ceasefire announced on Saturday leaves the IDF in all positions inside the security zone that protects northern communities. “As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I made clear, Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” he said. Military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua reported that the fire-hold instruction reached soldiers in the afternoon, while IDF forces were near one of Hezbollah’s key headquarters in the Litani area.
