Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz issued a joint statement clarifying that the directive to troops in southern Lebanon is to open fire on any threat, according to reservist and former Knesset member Hillel Biton Rosen. Separately, the IDF said it struck a cell of armed Hezbollah operatives on the Ali al-Taher ridge near the Security Zone, north of the zone itself.
The Prime Minister and Defense Minister's joint statement, issued around noon today, clarified that the directive for troops in southern Lebanon is to open fire on any threat, according to reservist and former Knesset member Hillel Biton Rosen. The statement comes after the IDF confirmed striking an armed Hezbollah cell on the Ali al-Taher ridge north of the Security Zone earlier in the day — a separate incident that the military said involved operatives approaching troops.
This development follows a series of escalations The Zioneer has tracked since Monday evening. At 22:45 Jerusalem on Monday, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister held a security assessment with the IDF chief of staff and Northern Command chief, issuing updated operational directives for southern Lebanon. A statement that evening clarified fire orders specifically for the Yellow Line area. Then, on Tuesday morning at 22:45 Jerusalem time, the leaders briefed the same commanders, reaffirming that fire orders in the Yellow Line zone remain in place. The Zioneer also reported two IDF strikes on armed Hezbollah cells on the same ridge at 13:15 and 13:17 Jerusalem today — making the joint statement the third public iteration of the political directive within 24 hours.
As The Zioneer previously reported, the backdrop includes Hizbollah's first claimed attack on Israeli forces since the ceasefire began on June 15, a barrage of over 50 rockets on June 20 which the IDF called a 'blatant violation,' and the Prime Minister and Defense Minister's Friday statement ordering massive strikes after four soldiers were killed on June 19.
It remains unclear whether the joint statement issued today represents a change in policy or a public reaffirmation of existing rules of engagement, and whether the rapid sequence of internal briefings and public statements indicates a shift in the government's approach to managing the ceasefire.
4 developments
- StrongNetanyahu, defense chiefs reaffirm IDF will maintain security zone in southern Lebanon
- StrongNetanyahu, Katz define Hezbollah attacks on IDF troops in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations, ordering massive strikes
- StrongNetanyahu: IDF to stay in southern Lebanon as long as needed; 300 Hezbollah targets struck in two days
- DevelopingKatz: IDF has full backing, freedom of action against all threats in Lebanon, Gaza
Source and signal
- Internal intake