Iran has reportedly instructed Hezbollah to avoid launching rockets and drones into Israeli territory in an effort to strengthen the group’s legitimacy for operations against IDF forces inside Lebanon, according to a Channel 13 report.

The directive came as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect Friday afternoon. While the ceasefire was reportedly violated shortly after it began, cross-border fire from Lebanon into Israel has, for now, ceased.

At the same time, Iran has postponed its delegation’s planned trip to Switzerland for continued negotiations with the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly told his Pakistani counterpart that the IDF must withdraw from Lebanon, arguing that otherwise there is no point in turning the current memorandum of understanding into a formal agreement.

Iran and Hezbollah are seeking to prevent any future negotiations between Israel and Lebanon under American mediation. Iranian officials reportedly view the Lebanon issue as a central component of the broader negotiations and are attempting to maintain pressure over the future of southern Lebanon.

A senior U.S. official told Reuters that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that took effect at 4:00 p.m. Friday. A senior Israeli official told Channel 13 that Israel considers itself in a ceasefire as long as Hezbollah refrains from attacking, while emphasizing that IDF forces will remain in southern Lebanon and retain freedom of action against emerging threats.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Friday that forces on the ground have full freedom to remove threats wherever necessary and that the military is prepared to return to intense combat immediately if required.

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