Hezbollah claimed 111 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the weekend, after a deadly tank incident in which a battalion commander and three soldiers were killed. On Saturday afternoon, against the backdrop of Iran’s dramatic announcement that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, an Israeli official said the IDF had been instructed to hold its fire in Lebanon.
“There are instructions for the IDF to hold fire. The moment Hezbollah attacked, we responded forcefully, and that will continue,” the official said about two hours after Iran announced the closure of Hormuz “because of the relentless violations in Lebanon” and amid an Iranian threat to launch missiles “if the aggression continues.”
Destruction after IDF strikes in southern Lebanon
A senior Israeli official said Israel’s policy in Lebanon “remains in place and has not changed: The IDF is free to act to remove threats and acts against any Hezbollah violation. If Hezbollah violates the ceasefire, the IDF will respond forcefully, as it has already shown over the past two days, during which more than 300 targets were struck and about 100 Hezbollah terrorists were killed. At the same time, the IDF is holding the security zone and operating with full freedom of action inside the yellow line to clear the area of terrorist infrastructure.”
A senior diplomatic official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has repeatedly made clear that Israel will remain in the security zone as long as necessary to defend its northern border. The prime minister instructed the IDF to respond forcefully to any Hezbollah attack and to act to remove threats against our forces. In response to Hezbollah attacks over the past two days, the IDF struck 300 terror targets and eliminated about 100 terrorists. If Hezbollah attacks us again, we will strike it again with force.”
Israel says Iran is encouraging Hezbollah to violate the ceasefire and attack, knowing Israel will respond, in an effort to anger the Americans by making it appear that Israel is “sabotaging the agreement.” Israel believes Iran is also trying to raise the price of the agreement in its dealings with Washington. Israel is stressing to the United States that every IDF action is a response to Hezbollah fire.
The Americans, for their part, want to calm the region so they can move forward with the agreement. Initial talks are in fact expected to be held in Switzerland on Sunday, despite the announcement on the closure of Hormuz. According to CNN, Vice President JD Vance is set to depart overnight and join envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are already there. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead the Iranian delegation. Despite Iran’s claims, the Americans are not discussing an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon with Israel, and Israeli officials are telling Washington and others: “Quiet will be met with quiet.”
As for the Revolutionary Guards’ threats to fire at Israel, the Israeli defense establishment is on high alert. A defense official said Israel is prepared for any scenario. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF received instructions from Netanyahu and him as soon as the ceasefire with Iran took effect to prepare for Operation Blue and White in Iran when needed. “All capabilities exist and are being built,” he said.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, accused Hezbollah on Saturday of violating the ceasefire agreement on the northern border and said Israel was acting within its right to self-defense against the group’s terrorist attacks. In a post on X, Leiter said Hezbollah, not Israel, had violated the ceasefire. He added that the group was exploiting the security escalation to extract diplomatic concessions. Leiter said Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that lies, and that Iran uses its proxies to force concessions, describing it as the Tehran regime’s standard modus operandi.
The ambassador stressed that Israel “has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon” and that its goal is to live alongside its neighbors “behind secure and recognized borders.” He also wrote that Israel respects the ceasefire while defending its citizens from terrorist attacks. In another post published Friday, Leiter listed a long series of security incidents attributed to Hezbollah on Friday and Saturday.
According to Leiter, in a single day Hezbollah fired no fewer than 147 rockets, 20 explosive drones and nine anti-tank missiles, as well as detonating an explosive device. The list was also part of Israel’s efforts to show the United States that its strikes were carried out solely in response to Hezbollah fire. “A ceasefire binds both sides,” the ambassador wrote, adding that the incidents showed who was truly violating the understandings on the ground.
Lebanon said 83 people were killed in IDF strikes Friday and another 28 on Saturday. A Hezbollah command official told Al Jazeera that the group was exercising its right to respond to Israeli strikes from a defensive position in order to force the enemy to comply with the ceasefire. The official said Israel’s escalation was intended to establish freedom of movement outside the framework of the Iranian-American agreement and claimed Israel sought to seize the Ali al-Taher hills and hold leverage over Lebanon.
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Destruction in the village of Qennarit in the Sidon district
(Photo: AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
In a later statement, Hezbollah said “the enemy is lying in an attempt to justify its ongoing aggression against Lebanon and the massacre it is carrying out. It is trying to mislead public opinion and sabotage the agreement between Iran and the United States.” According to Hezbollah, “the number of Israeli violations and attacks since Friday has exceeded 300 documented incidents, including the firing of prohibited phosphorus shells and cluster bombs.”
Hezbollah added that full responsibility lies with Israel, whose leaders have repeatedly declared that they reject the existing agreements and refuse to withdraw from Lebanese territory. The group called on all countries and officials, especially the United States, to pressure Israel to implement the agreements and stop its aggression instead of making accusations. Hezbollah said it has the right to defend its land against continuing Israeli aggression and violations, and that attempts by the enemy to establish freedom of movement in order to continue its aggression are unacceptable and will not go unanswered. It said expelling the occupation from its land is only a matter of time.