As President Donald Trump delivered a string of dubious claims that “Syria’s leader would be very happy to enter Lebanon and deal with Hezbollah, not just knock down buildings for no reason”—residents of Kiryat Shmona witnessed a surreal scene overhead: a series of interceptions during the “ceasefire.” The IDF issued its now-familiar terse statement: “A missile was fired to intercept a suspicious aerial target identified in the area where IDF forces are operating in southern Lebanon. The incident ended, no casualties.”
Interceptions were spotted in the skies over Kiryat Shmona this evening as IDF forces continue operating in southern Lebanon under new operational restrictions that took effect as part of recent political understandings. Shortly after the incident, the IDF Spokesperson released a brief statement: “A missile was fired to intercept a suspicious aerial target identified in the area where IDF forces are operating in southern Lebanon.” The statement added that the incident ended with no casualties and that in accordance with policy, no alerts were activated.
The incident occurred as Trump was speaking about Israel’s conduct in Lebanon. Trump revealed what he called a “small disagreement” between himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding operations in Lebanon. “Bibi Netanyahu gets a little too excited sometimes,” Trump said, adding that he recommended Israel act “a little more gently” and not “bring down a building every time.” The American president also claimed that Syria’s leader “would be very happy to enter Lebanon and deal with Hezbollah”—a statement that drew widespread criticism in Israel.
But on the ground, reality looks completely different. Just hours before the interceptions, the IDF reported another attack by the Hezbollah terror organization against IDF forces in southern Lebanon. According to reports, two explosive drones were launched at the forces alongside an attempted anti-tank missile strike. One drone exploded near a tank and the other hit an area where evacuation forces were operating. Five soldiers were wounded in the incident—one seriously, two moderately, and two lightly.
These incidents join a series of events from recent days, including rocket launches toward the area where IDF forces are operating in southern Lebanon. Interceptions were carried out in those cases as well.
In the background of these developments stand the new directives given to IDF forces in Lebanon. According to reports, forces have been prohibited from initiating fire, and are only permitted to open fire in cases of identifying a clear and immediate threat. Additionally, forces were instructed to avoid prolonged stays at fixed positions and to move between different locations to minimize their exposure.