The IDF Home Front Command will scale down standby emergency squads in northern Israel from Sunday, according to the military. The decision cites the Hezbollah ceasefire, while Israel keeps forces on alert amid warnings of potential escalation.
The IDF Home Front Command confirmed Tuesday evening that it will reduce standby emergency squads (kitot konenut) in northern Israel starting Sunday, June 28, citing the ceasefire with Hezbollah. The military stressed that forces will remain on alert and that there is no change in civil-defense policy at this stage, but local leaders and commentators have criticized the move, arguing Hezbollah continues to violate the ceasefire according to the Northern Command's own assessments.
The decision follows a week of incremental steps toward demobilization. On Monday, June 22, at 18:03 Jerusalem, an initial report said the IDF had informed squads they would be released Sunday. The same evening, at 20:45 Jerusalem, an IDF spokesperson confirmed the plan, saying the regional defense platoons would end operational service next week and receive reorganization days. The earlier Monday report, at 18:03 Jerusalem, stated the IDF had begun the demobilization process after the Home Front Command lifted all remaining restrictions on frontline communities. Over that same period, source quality evolved from a single news outlet's initial report to an on-record confirmation by military spokesperson Guy Varon.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday, June 19, the Northern Command warned of severe Hezbollah ceasefire violations overnight, saying strikes would continue. The same day, the Home Front Command told residents to brace for a complex night of violations. Earlier, on Monday, June 15, the IDF had halted combat operations in suspected Hezbollah weapons depots, and a security analyst warned that restraint against violations may cost lives.
What remains open is whether the reduction will hold if Hezbollah violations continue unabated, as the Northern Command itself assessed on Friday that the group remains active against troops. The IDF said there is no change to civil-defense policy, but has not detailed what trigger would reverse the demobilization.
4 developments
- StrongNorthern Command warns of more Hezbollah violations, says IDF strikes will continue
- DevelopingHome Front Command lifts 5,000-person gathering cap nationwide effective Monday morning
- DevelopingIDF instructed to limit operations that could jeopardize ceasefire
- StrongCommentator slams disbanding of frontline emergency squads after US ceasefire declaration
Source and signal
- Internal intake