Israeli journalists challenged a statement issued Sunday by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, in which he asserted that “there never has been, and there is not now, any restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon acting to remove threats.”

Katz’s statement comes after five IDF soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Friday and Shabbos, and amid reports that the IDF has been ordered to significantly curtail its military operations in Lebanon due to US pressure.

Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal wrote: “Soldiers along the Yellow Line are describing a completely different reality—one in which approvals at the highest levels are required to act against terrorists conducting surveillance on them or against suspicious activity.”

Army Radio military correspondent Doron Kadosh wrote: “What the defense minister isn’t telling you is that in practice, IDF soldiers in Lebanon are being forced to wait for a threat to reach them before they are allowed to eliminate it.”

“If a terrorist is identified approaching a force, he can be killed. But if that same terrorist is sitting in a command center in Nabatieh or Tyre, it is not considered ‘removing a threat.’

“If a rocket is identified on a launcher and ready to be fired, it can be struck. But if Hezbollah is currently manufacturing 1,000 new rockets in an underground facility in the Bekaa Valley, that is not considered ‘removing a threat.’

“If an explosive drone is identified approaching a military position, troops can fire at it. But if intelligence identifies a command center in Beirut from which Hezbollah commanders are directing the drone campaign, that is not considered ‘removing a threat.’

“This is a deliberate deception by the defense minister who is trying to create an alternative reality. The truth is that IDF is operating under restrictions on the use of force in Lebanon—quite strict restrictions— imposed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz. That is the truth.”

“This situation is dangerous, and it must be stated plainly: the IDF’s rules of engagement in Lebanon, imposed by the political leadership because of diplomatic constraints and US pressure, are endangering IDF troops in southern Lebanon. The warning signs are already there.”

Kan News military correspondent Roy Sharon also slammed Katz’s remarks, calling them “a bluff that endangers IDF troops in southern Lebanon.”

“Acting to remove an immediate threat is never restricted, in any sector, for any soldier carrying a weapon,” Sharon wrote. “But using firepower only to remove an immediate threat—which is all the IDF is currently permitted to do—is self-defense, and that is a major restriction. You cannot fight in enemy territory under those conditions.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)