Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the instruction he and Defense Minister Israel Katz gave the IDF has not changed: fighters operating in southern Lebanon have full freedom of action to stop any direct or emerging threat to themselves or to residents of northern Israel, with no restrictions.
Netanyahu said, “I stand behind them, the entire nation stands behind them.” He added that he is firmly committed to keeping Israel in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary in order to protect northern residents and all Israeli citizens.
The remarks were presented as a clarification of Israel’s current operational policy in southern Lebanon, stressing that the army is authorized to act against threats without limitation.