Israeli Forces Scale Back Activity Beyond the Yellow Line as Trump Framework Takes Hold

US President Donald Trump’s framework agreement is already beginning to affect the situation on Israel’s northern border, even though Israel’s political leadership has not yet issued any formal change in policy. According to a Channel 12 report, Israeli forces are still operating normally inside the yellow line, but offensive activity beyond it has been reduced.

At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces continue to operate in the buffer zone against Hezbollah terror infrastructure and to remove immediate threats. Reports from southern Lebanon of tanks moving south have fueled speculation that troop deployment there may be starting to change, but the army says there has been no withdrawal from the areas it holds. The IDF chief of staff has ordered forces to keep holding the buffer zone and maintain air superiority, and the military says there has been no change in deployments inside the yellow line, with troops remaining in the same positions.

Security officials are preparing for at least another 60 days of continued presence, while also allowing for adjustments if the political echelon decides otherwise. One Israeli source said, “We have not received an instruction yet, but nobody intends to go on adventures in the coming days.”

Meanwhile, Shiite civilians have begun returning to villages in southern Lebanon beyond the yellow line, while the Lebanese army has urged residents to slow the pace of return. A Hezbollah source told Reuters that “Hezbollah has not carried out any action since the agreement between Iran and the United States was announced,” adding that Hezbollah’s position on the ceasefire depends on how well Israel complies with its terms. The source also said Hezbollah rejects Israel’s “freedom of action” in Lebanon and claimed Iran delayed signing the deal to monitor Israel’s adherence to the ceasefire.