Khaberni - An official in the Israeli occupation army confirmed on Saturday that the army received orders from the political leadership to cease fighting in southern Lebanon, where confrontations with Hezbollah continued despite the announcement of a ceasefire on Friday.
The official said, "The Israeli army received updated instructions from the political level to cease fire."
He added that the Israeli forces "do not carry out preemptive strikes", but operate "defensively within the security zone" in southern Lebanon.
He continued, "These defensive activities include the right to respond if Hezbollah does not respect the ceasefire and continues to target our forces."
The official pointed out that the army was operating in the Kafr Tibnit area against an underground facility "that poses a direct threat to Israeli soldiers and civilians" and "constitutes a main stronghold for Hezbollah".
Israeli media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz directed a ceasefire in Lebanon.
The media reported that the Israeli occupation forces will not withdraw from the areas they controlled.
Iran announced on Saturday that it would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic again, in response to Israel continuing to launch bloody attacks in southern Lebanon despite the understanding between Washington and Tehran to end the war in the Middle East, which includes this front as well.
On June 18, 2026, American President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Bizeshkian remotely signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that started with an American-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.
Trump signed the memorandum of understanding, which includes the Lebanese front, during a visit to France on June 17, 2026.
Under the memorandum, Tehran and Washington committed to negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum deadline of 60 days, extendable with the consent of both parties.
According to the text of the understanding, Tehran renewed its commitment not to seek possession or development of nuclear weapons, with both parties to discuss Iran's nuclear file within the framework of the negotiations for the final agreement.
According to the memorandum, the United States and Iran agreed on "resolving the issue of disposing of stored enriched materials, through a mechanism to be agreed upon between the parties... with the minimal mechanism being the reduction of uranium enrichment grade on-site under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency."
