Opposition leader Naftali Bennett accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of restricting IDF troops in southern Lebanon, speaking against the backdrop of a reported operational halt. Netanyahu reiterated that Israel retains full freedom of action and will remain in the security zone. Meanwhile, Iranian media deny an IAEA inspectors deal reportedly advanced by Foreign Minister Va'ensi.
Opposition leader Naftali Bennett on Monday evening accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of restricting IDF troops in southern Lebanon, saying, 'They are tying our soldiers' hands,' according to a report by i24NEWS. The attack came after The Zioneer reported earlier Monday that Netanyahu had issued a statement rejecting any limits on military operations, asserting that troops retain 'full freedom of action' and that Israel will stay in the security zone as long as needed. Bennett's remarks mark a rare direct confrontation between a former premier and a sitting one over operational policy on the northern front.
This exchange is the latest in a thread that has unfolded entirely on Monday. At 16:20 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published the first version of the story: Netanyahu stated that IDF troops have unrestricted authority in southern Lebanon, days after the military said the same. Within the same hour (16:20), a contradictory version appeared — a report by journalist Hillel Biton Rosen claimed zero Israeli strikes in the area over the past 48 hours and that all demolition of recently uncovered underground infrastructure had been canceled. Also at 16:20, The Zioneer reported Netanyahu's qualified reiteration — troops have 'full freedom of action' — and a separate version noting no plans for a near-term withdrawal. By 16:20 as well, it was reported that Lebanese civilians attempted to enter the village of Tebenin and were repelled by warning shots; a security source denied any withdrawal. The thread shows a pattern: Netanyahu's repeated oral guarantees of complete operational freedom coexist with reports of a de facto halt in active operations.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this week (Sunday June 21), Netanyahu declared at a conference that Israel will hold security zones in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon as long as needed. Background reporting from earlier Monday has also indicated competing pressures: a reported diplomatic push linking an Iran deal to a Lebanon withdrawal (per Israel Hayom commentary cited by The Zioneer on Monday morning), and a United States insistence that Israel abide by a renewed ceasefire (The Zioneer, Friday June 19).
What remains open is the factual dispute between the Prime Minister's formal insistence on freedom of action and the specifics of the Biton Rosen report as well as Bennett's accusation. No official document or on-record military directive clarifying the actual rules of engagement has been published, and the source of Bennett's claim — whether from IDF briefings or political intelligence — is not specified. The i24NEWS report also bundled a separate claim by Foreign Minister Va'ensi about progress with Iran on IAEA inspections, which Tehran denies; the connection between the two developments is not independently confirmed.
6 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu says troops have full freedom of action; report claims zero strikes in 48 hours
- DevelopingBennett: Netanyahu incapable of deciding on Gaza, Lebanon, Iran fronts
- DevelopingBennett calls for enabling troops to defend themselves in Lebanon, criticizes political echelon
- DevelopingNetanyahu acknowledges Israel's operational constraints in southern Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake