Tensions between IDF and government mount as troops push deeper into Lebanon
Sources told Haaretz that the IDF's primary concern is a scenario in which the government decides to halt the war while troops are still operating deep inside Lebanon, which could force troops to withdraw under fire, turning any pullback into an operation as dangerous and complex as the advance itself.
Tensions between the senior IDF officials and the government intensified after Israeli forces crossed Lebanon's Litani River last weekend despite a recent decision to reduce deployment in northern Israel due to the mounting strain on reserve forces.
Sources in the IDF's Northern Command told Haaretz that Hezbollah is fully aware of the changes in Israel's deployment and is reassessing its capabilities along the border. One officer serving in southern Lebanon said that "when one division bears most of the operational responsibility, the meaning is obvious to the enemy as well."
The number of Israeli soldiers killed since Hezbollah entered the Iran war in early March rose to 25 on Saturday with the death of Ssgt. Michael Tyukin, 21, who was killed in a drone attack. Tyukin immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in 2020 with his mother and was her only son.
Persistent Hezbollah rocket and drone fire continued into Sunday, with one explosive drone wounding four people in the northern Israeli moshav of Beit Hillel. PM Netanyahu said he told commanders stationed in Lebanon that "it will take more time, but we will restore security to the residents of the north, just as we did for the residents of the south."
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes on Saturday killed 16 people and wounded 24, the country's Health Ministry said. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly leading efforts to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon cease-fire and is expected to announce a new agreement following talks between the two sides that took place over the weekend.
"A set of three sirens that broke the night's silence in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona reignited anxiety and anger among the city's residents. Throughout the remaining hours of Saturday, a lively discussion continued in the WhatsApp groups of residents. 'We're still awake from yesterday,' said Shiran Ohayon, a Kiryat Shmona resident and one of the leaders of the residents' protest movement that emerged due to the crisis in the city caused by successive wars. 'People here are already desperate, and that's the most dangerous situation for our city. We feel abandoned'"– Adi Hashmonai