Tension on the 'Yellow Line': What is happening in southern Lebanon after the agreement
The IDF continues search operations and infrastructure destruction, but the return of civilians to villages creates risks and limits operational methods. A military source in the Northern Command told Walla: "The Lebanese army was supposed to prevent the return of civilians using roadblocks." At the same time, airstrikes have been significantly reduced.
In accordance with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, several processes are currently underway: the IDF is withdrawing to an area defined as the "Yellow Line," while the Lebanese army is entering several enclaves previously under Israeli control to locate terrorist infrastructure and weaponry and to demilitarize the area.
The IDF's primary mission in southern Lebanon is the defense of the Yellow Line, followed by the defense of outposts built in the territory and along the international border. Additionally, IDF forces are scanning vast areas to locate underground systems, terrorists, and weaponry. The IDF has expressed satisfaction with the pace of destruction of terrorist infrastructure.
The ceasefire agreement has several vulnerabilities. The most prominent is the return of civilians to villages and towns, contrary to the agreement. A military source in the Northern Command told Walla:
"According to the agreement between Lebanon and Israel, the Lebanese army was supposed to prevent the return of civilians using roadblocks."
The IDF is exercising restraint to avoid derailing negotiations in Rome. An exception occurred following the detonation of an explosive device that killed two IDF soldiers and wounded four others during the evacuation of civilians from the Al-Mansouri area.
Simultaneously, the number of airstrikes has significantly decreased. Reserve soldiers report that the return of civilians to many villages has made operations much more dangerous: "It is impossible to know if they are civilians or Hezbollah operatives, so a significant portion of activity has been automatically reduced." According to Northern Command estimates, Hezbollah operatives are attempting to restore military activity in southern Lebanon through intelligence gathering, the construction of temporary outposts in buildings, and preparations for attacks.
Officers in the Northern Command emphasized that despite the sensitivity surrounding the Rome negotiations, the rules of engagement regarding the removal of an immediate threat remain clear at the squad leader level, with no special approval required for such actions.
