When the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced, the IDF clarified that forces will remain in a security buffer zone at the border to protect northern communities, and Israel would maintain freedom of action to respond to potential violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah.

However, according to Army Radio journalist Doron Kadosh, the IDF’s freedom of action in Lebanon during the current ceasefire has been significantly limited compared to the previous ceasefire, exposing IDF troops to danger not only from hidden explosives but also from the presence of terror cells operating in areas in or near IDF control, who may attempt sudden attacks on IDF forces.

To illustrate the danger to IDF forces, Kadosh explained that the incident in which a French UNIFIL soldier was killed by gunfire from Hezbollah terrorists on Shabbos occurred in a village located south of the Litani, very close to the Yellow Line, and only 2.5 kilometers from where IDF forces are stationed.

“This is an incident that illustrates and confirms that Hezbollah is definitely still operating and present south of the Litani River, very close to our forces,” Kadosh stated.

Regarding the restrictions on the IDF’s freedom of action during the current ceasefire, Kadosh wrote: “The IDF’s announcement regarding the ceasefire terms in Lebanon makes clear that enforcement around the Yellow Line will look very similar to that in the Gaza Strip: terrorists who approach the forces or cross the Yellow Line will be killed, and inside the Yellow Line area, the IDF will be permitted to continue destroying buildings and terror infrastructure,” Kadosh wrote.

“But—and this is a very important but—beyond the Yellow Line, meaning most of southern Lebanon and most of the area south of the Litani, and certainly the Beirut and Bekaa regions, the IDF will not be permitted to operate or strike under the ceasefire.

“The impression from this situation is that the IDF’s freedom of action in Lebanon is more limited than it was under the previous ceasefire agreement in November 2024.

“After the previous ceasefire, the IDF continued striking in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region daily, and even carried out several strikes in Beirut during the ceasefire. Over the course of the ceasefire, which lasted about a year and three months, the IDF killed approximately 450 Hezbollah terrorists, an average of one a day.

“Before the current ceasefire was announced by President Trump, the IDF told the political leadership that there were two essential conditions for a ceasefire: remaining in the captured buffer zone (a defensible border), and freedom of action. The first condition was met; the second, it appears, is not being fully met.

“If there are indeed stricter restrictions on freedom of action in Lebanon than under the November 2024 agreement, there is a real concern that Israel is now in a far worse situation in comparison to the period before the war, allowing Hezbollah to continue building up and entrenching itself in areas only a few kilometers from the border, north of the Yellow Line. That is a troubling issue that requires continued monitoring as the ceasefire takes shape.”

In an Army Radio report on Sunday morning, Kadosh noted that the IDF spokesperson has been evasive about questions about the details of the ceasefire.

“When it’s convenient for the IDF, it ignores media inquiries and doesn’t volunteer information,” he said.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)