Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff confirmed, in a joint statement issued after a security meeting, that the Israeli army will continue to work to “neutralize” threats targeting Israeli soldiers and citizens, and to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure, while maintaining what Israel describes as the “security zone” inside southern Lebanon.
The statement added that the three officials stressed that the security of Israeli citizens and army forces will remain the basic principle that does not accept any compromise.
Netanyahu said that the Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon enjoy “complete freedom” to move against any direct or potential threat, explaining that the soldiers are authorized to thwart any threat targeting them or the residents of northern Israel, and that the army does not face any restrictions in this context.
He added: “I stand behind our fighters, and the entire nation stands behind them.”
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed that Israel will not withdraw its forces from the “security zone” that it unilaterally declared inside Lebanese territory, which extends about six miles north of the border.
Sa’ar said, in a post on social media, that Israel will respect the ceasefire in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah does not violate it, stressing that his country has no regional ambitions in Lebanon, but it will not withdraw from the security zone and will not expose its citizens to Hezbollah attacks or infiltration attempts.
This comes at a time when talks are continuing between Lebanon and Israel, amid reports that the issue of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon is being discussed within the framework of what is known as the “pilot project” for the Lebanese army.
Although ceasefire agreements were announced and reactivated more than once during the past weeks, confrontations continued as a result of disagreement over the definition of defensive actions carried out by Israeli forces.
In this context, Israeli military commanders received new instructions that limit troop movements inside Lebanon to defensive actions, and stipulate that they should not open fire except in the face of an immediate threat, unless special permission is issued by the Chief of Staff.
The new instructions also prohibit warning fire towards civilians returning to southern Lebanon, unless they are very close to Israeli forces positions.
The orders also include prohibiting the bombing of homes or infrastructure within the security zone without prior approval from senior officers, according to what two Israeli officials said.
