Cabinet Row Erupts Over Lebanon Ceasefire Limits After Soldier Injuries

At Thursday night’s cabinet meeting, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pushed back against ministers complaining about restrictions on soldiers under the ceasefire in Lebanon, telling them, "You wanted a ceasefire." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army responds to any immediate threat and insisted, "We are not restricting any soldier." Defense Minister Israel Katz also said, "Any soldier can respond immediately," while trying to calm the ministers by arguing that the Americans understand Israel’s right to self-defense.

The criticism came mainly from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and ministers aligned with him. Ben Gvir asked what happens when an emerging threat is spotted, saying that if Hezbollah is seen rearming, "why not dismantle them?" He later said, "I do not want a ceasefire. Exactly because of that." Minister Orit Strook added that soldiers feel like they are "at a shooting range," while Infrastructure Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf complained that troops cannot respond to threats beyond the yellow line. Ben Gvir also called to "collapse the agreement."

The dispute came after a grenade attack the night before near Beit Yahoun, when a terrorist approached an IDF force and threw a grenade. Two officers and two soldiers were wounded, and the force returned fire and killed the attacker. One officer was moderately wounded, another was lightly wounded, and the two soldiers were also lightly wounded.

Meanwhile, reports from Washington said talks with Lebanon had a difficult atmosphere, but U.S. pressure appeared to be producing compromises. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Israel and Lebanon were nearing understandings on pilot zones for Hezbollah’s disarmament. In those areas, the IDF would likely withdraw from zones already cleared, and the Lebanese army would replace it. Katz said on Thursday at the Local Government Center conference that even if the United States demands it, "the IDF will not withdraw from southern Lebanon," adding that Israel will not leave the security zone in Syria or Lebanon.