Over the past day, there have been intensive discussions between Israel’s political leadership and the IDF about how forces will be positioned in southern Lebanon. The army is expected to present a pilot plan for staying in the area, with recommendations focused on where troops should concentrate and where they should remain in order to protect northern Israeli residents and soldiers.
Northern Command has mapped the terrain and identified points that can be used to control southern Lebanon by observation and fire. The assumption is that, during negotiations with the Lebanese government, the pilot plan could be activated and territory transferred to the Lebanese army’s control. But on the ground, commanders say the fighting zone is still far from quiet, even if the main offensive momentum has begun to level off.
Soldiers from the 36th Division are positioned at key sites on the Ali al-Taher ridge and are operating mainly from fortified positions to remove threats. Earlier on Friday, they identified an armed cell near them in the security zone and attacked it from north of the protected area, eliminating the threat. In another incident on the same ridge, fighters spotted four militants on a bulldozer and a motorcycle. After the militants crossed into the secured area and kept advancing despite warning shots, troops fired targeted shots to neutralize the threat and reported hits.
The IDF says the incident, involving civilian engineering vehicles, is another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians and civilian infrastructure as cover for terror activity. A soldier in the sector said the new rules of engagement are clear, saying, “There are not too many attacks going forward right now, but within my sector the instruction is clear, anyone who identifies a threat opens fire. There is no question about it.”
Questions also remain about the underground threat. Work on tunnels near the Ali al-Taher ridge was temporarily frozen because of operational sensitivities, including actions by elite units such as Yahalom and commando forces, which are analyzing the situation and trying to understand the future of the tunnel network in the area. One tunnel, near Tefen, still contains trapped militants. The army says the work has not stopped, only continues under structured operational plans, but it remains unclear whether the IDF will destroy the tunnels itself or eventually hand them over to the Lebanese army under the pilot plan.
