The IDF has been instructed to scale back operations in Lebanon to immediate threat removal only, following American pressure and Iranian threats to fire missiles and close the Strait of Hormuz, the Saturday night roundup reports. The directive comes after a day in which Hezbollah fired over 50 rockets and the IDF struck 300 targets, killing about 100 operatives. A political source said Israel would remain in the security zone as long as needed.
The IDF has been instructed to scale back operations in Lebanon to immediate threat removal only, following American pressure and Iranian threats to fire missiles and close the Strait of Hormuz, according to Saturday night's roundup. The directive, issued by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, was first reported by military correspondent Nir Dvori at Sat 17:37 Jerusalem and confirmed by multiple sources throughout the evening.
Earlier Saturday, Hezbollah fired over 50 rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, which the IDF labeled a ceasefire violation and responded to with strikes on 300 targets, killing about 100 operatives. A political source said Israel will remain in the security zone as long as needed.
The thread evolved rapidly from Sat 17:37: initially Dvori reported a ceasefire order without withdrawal from captured territory (v1). By Sat 17:37, Chief of Staff Zamir issued the hold-fire directive (v4), an Israeli official confirmed it (v5), Yedioth attributed it to Iranian pressure (v6), Iran confirmed its attendance at Switzerland talks (v7), the IDF officially acknowledged the directive (v8), and by v9 the order was described as halting all military operations. Corroboration moved from a single journalist to official confirmation and expanded attribution.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Saturday (Sat 15:13 Jerusalem), the overnight rocket barrage was confirmed by the IDF as over 50 launches. Iran's threat to launch missiles at Israel tonight was reported at Sat 17:42 Jerusalem, and at Sat 20:33 Jerusalem Iran announced closure of the Strait of Hormuz, though the Pentagon reported no disruption. The nuclear talks in Geneva are set to proceed as scheduled, with the Iranian delegation demanding the US restrain Israel.
It remains unclear whether the reduced operations directive applies uniformly to all sectors of Lebanon or allows exceptions for immediate threats against troops. The threat of direct Iranian military action — missiles or strait closure — remains active and unfulfilled.
9 developments
- DevelopingIDF instructed to limit operations that could jeopardize ceasefire
- ConfirmedSenior Israeli official warns: If Hezbollah attacks again, Israel will strike with full force
- ConfirmedIDF reportedly ordered to halt strikes in Iran, continue operations in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF reducing operations in Lebanon, awaiting political directives — first report
Source and signal
- Internal intake