⚔️ DEBATE GROWS OVER SOUTHERN LEBANON SECURITY ZONES AND IDF FREEDOM OF ACTION
🛰️ HEZBOLLAH REPORTEDLY REBUILDS BORDER SURVEILLANCE NETWORK: The Israeli military estimates that Hezbollah has re-established a surveillance and intelligence-gathering system along the Yellow Line in southern Lebanon and is conducting night operations to locate senior command positions and launch attacks, according to Walla.
⚔️ DEBATE GROWS OVER IDF FREEDOM OF ACTION IN LEBANON: Military correspondent Doron Kadosh reported a "strong tightening" of operational strike policies in southern Lebanon, with near-total ceasefire orders issued to Northern Command following U.S. pressure over the Iran-U.S. agreement.
The new directives reportedly raise approval thresholds for combat operations from division or command levels to the Chief of Staff or political leadership. The restrictions specifically affect actions near Israeli ground forces and have sparked internal friction over field tactical autonomy.
Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the reports.
"There was not, and there is not, any restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon from acting to remove threats."
"The ceasefire that was announced yesterday leaves the IDF in all of its positions within the security zone that protects the communities of northern Israel."
"As Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon."
Katz said Israel will maintain operational freedom in southern Lebanon despite the truce. His statement aligns with the government’s position that troops will remain deployed until Hezbollah is fully disarmed, a stance that has put Jerusalem at odds with Washington’s broader diplomatic framework.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said:
"We will continue to do everything necessary to restore security for the people of the North."
📍 ISRAEL PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE U.S. WITHDRAWAL PRESSURE: A senior Israeli source estimated that a U.S. demand for Israel to withdraw the IDF from southern Lebanon is only a matter of time.
The source said such a demand would present Israel and Netanyahu with a very difficult dilemma.
Officials around Netanyahu also reportedly expect a U.S.-dictated withdrawal demand, while Netanyahu told his people that leaving the security zone is a "red line."
Those around the prime minister described the situation with the Americans as "definitely challenging."
🔸 LEBANON-ISRAEL TALKS TO FOCUS ON PILOT ZONES: Washington is preparing to host the fifth round of indirect Lebanon-Israel negotiations, with the agenda centered on contested "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Lebanese military sources said there is no "absolute rejection" of the pilot-zone concept if it ensures a complete cessation of Israeli attacks across all Lebanese territory.
The Lebanese military delegation is demanding urgent American clarifications regarding the zones’ geographic boundaries, legal status and management mechanisms before final negotiation stages.
Lebanese military officials expressed concern that Israel intends to impose "indirect partnership in security decision-making," which they view as an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty.
The Lebanese army is maintaining categorical opposition to any framework that gives Israel influence over its operations. It is insisting on existing ceasefire coordination mechanisms and avoiding any form of direct security contact with Israeli forces.
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