The IDF has sharply scaled back its airstrikes in southern Lebanon following a significant tightening of its rules of engagement implemented several days before the signing of the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding, Army Radio reported on Sunday.

Already early last week, the IDF’s Northern Command was ordered to almost entirely refrain from carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon.

Under the new policy, strikes that previously required approval from divisional or command-level officers were moved to a higher threshold, requiring authorization from the Chief of the General Staff, and in some cases, from government officials as well.

The IDF had already avoided operating in Beirut and the Baqa Valley in recent months due to US restrictions, which means that the new orders have further narrowed Israel’s operational freedom even in areas where the IDF has previously acted freely.

The order came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced progress toward an agreement with Iran—and even before the memorandum was formally signed. Israel was required to significantly limit its strikes, even in areas near IDF forces stationed in southern Lebanon.

IDF officers slammed the restrictions on Army Radio, saying they put IDF soldiers in danger by making it more difficult to neutralize threats, adding that the reduction in air support also weakens the IDF’s ability to protect ground forces.

Ynet military analyst Yossi Yehoshua wrote: “In conversations with soldiers, the same feeling comes up again and again: they feel like ‘ducks in a shooting gallery,’ operating in a threat-saturated area under significant operational restrictions while the enemy keeps trying to wear them down.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)