Israeli security sources say the military has ordered a ceasefire in southern Lebanon effective Saturday evening, following intense overnight battles on the Ali Taher ridge. Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets and drones at Israeli forces; one Israeli soldier was killed and 13 wounded.
A senior political source in the prime minister's office and the IDF spokesman jointly announced Saturday evening that the military has ceased fire in southern Lebanon and remains committed to the ceasefire, according to an IDF-sourced summary from reports channel (itself a monitored feed, not an original source). The order came hours after Iran's foreign ministry declared the Hormuz Strait closed — a claim the U.S. military immediately rejected — and after a wave of Israeli retaliatory strikes on dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight and into Saturday morning.
As The Zioneer reported at 21:13, the IDF confirmed five soldiers killed and 13 wounded in two separate incidents on the Ali Taher ridge during the heavy fighting. The current ceasefire directive directly follows Saturday's earlier escalation, in which Hezbollah fired tens of rockets, mortar shells and explosive drones at advancing Israeli commando forces. The Israeli operation to seize the ridge and its underground tunnel complex — described by the IDF as Hezbollah's main south Lebanon headquarters — had been ongoing since Thursday night; four tank crewmen, including 52nd Battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimshon, were killed in an initial ambush, with their names released Friday.
What remains unclear is whether the ceasefire will hold and whether the IDF will withdraw from positions seized on the ridge. Iran's delegation is still due to travel to Switzerland for talks with the U.S., despite the Hormuz closure threat.
2 developments
- StrongIDF says Hezbollah fired over 50 rockets at troops in south Lebanon overnight; strikes dozens of targets in response
- Developing18 killed, IDF strikes 150 targets in South Lebanon as ceasefire violations mount
- ConfirmedIDF confirms dozens of overnight airstrikes across southern Lebanon, dismisses comment on Ali al-Taher clashes
- StrongHezbollah continues shelling Israeli troops in south Lebanon despite announced agreement; IDF strikes nearby threats
Source and signal
- Internal intake