Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops have full freedom of action to preempt any direct or emerging threat in southern Lebanon, but a contrasting report by journalist Hillel Biton Rosen claims the IDF carried out zero strikes in the area over the past 48 hours, has ordered troops to only open fire against an immediate danger, and canceled all demolition of the vast underground infrastructure recently uncovered.
This report — attributed by its publisher to an unnamed source — directly contradicts the public position taken by the Prime Minister just minutes earlier. Netanyahu stated: "Our troops have freedom of action to thwart any direct or emerging threat. The IDF has no restrictions." By contrast, the report alleges: zero IDF strikes in southern Lebanon in the preceding 48 hours; a standing order to open fire only against an immediate threat; and the cancellation of all demolition operations of the vast underground Hezbollah infrastructure recently discovered near the border.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, this is not the first time a disconnect between declared policy and operational reality has surfaced. On Sunday, a source told The Zioneer that the IDF "sharply reduced" its strikes in southern Lebanon as early as last week, with approval thresholds rising to require the Chief of Staff's sign-off. On Saturday, the military issued a statement that it is not conducting initiated operations in Lebanon, only responding to existential threats. The current report, if verified, would mark the strictest phase yet of that restriction — a period with literally no recorded strikes and with underground demolition halted entirely.
The report has not been confirmed by any official Israeli military or political source, nor corroborated by additional independent outlets. The claim of canceled demolitions is particularly significant: the IDF had previously confirmed active demolition of Hezbollah's main tunnel complex near Beaufort Castle and Ali Taher ridge, calling them the group's central command centers. Whether that work has actually ceased is unverified.
5 developments
- DevelopingMilitary analyst: IDF retains freedom of action in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal from occupied areas
- StrongNetanyahu: IDF to stay in southern Lebanon as long as needed; 300 Hezbollah targets struck in two days
- DevelopingNetanyahu acknowledges Israel's operational constraints in southern Lebanon
- ConfirmedIDF: Troops have full freedom of action across southern Lebanon against any threat
Source and signal
- Internal intake