Israel Halts Offensive Operations in Lebanon Following Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Closure
The order, coordinated with Washington, comes after Tehran shut the waterway in retaliation for ceasefire violations; Israeli forces remain in south Lebanon.
On Saturday evening Israel’s political and military leadership ordered a halt to offensive operations in Lebanon, while instructing the army to remain in positions seized since March and to continue "removing direct threats." The ceasefire instruction, delivered after a security assessment by the chief of staff and a directive from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, did not include any withdrawal from south Lebanon, according to Israeli media and an anonymous statement from the prime minister’s office.
The decision followed an announcement earlier on Saturday by Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Command that it would close the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping. The Iranian command cited what it called a "clear breach of trust" by the United States and ongoing Israeli violations of a memorandum of understanding concerning Lebanon. Israeli channel 12 reported that the ceasefire order came after "coordination between the political leadership and the United States," and the Hebrew website Walla described the Israel Defence Forces as once again being "constrained by Iranian pressure." Analysts in the region view the synchronised moves as an illustration of the leverage Tehran seeks to apply over the Lebanese theatre via the strategic waterway.
Israeli officials insisted the halt was conditional and tied to a self-declared security zone. The prime minister’s office stated Israel would stay in south Lebanon "as long as necessary to defend its northern borders," and a military source quoted by Channel 13 said activity would be "significantly reduced" and fire restricted "only to direct threats." Hezbollah denied breaching the ceasefire, asserting that Israel had carried out some 300 violations since Friday and that the Israeli accusations aimed to "sabotage the Tehran-Washington agreement." Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the overall death toll since the start of the war had reached 4,057.
The latest ceasefire effort unfolded after days of intense Israeli airstrikes on what the IDF called Hezbollah infrastructure. A senior official in Netanyahu’s office stated that in response to Hezbollah attacks the military had struck 300 targets and killed around 100 operatives. The Israeli order to freeze offensive actions followed a pattern of ceasefire announcements—some made the previous day—that were not implemented, according to media reports, with shelling and incursions continuing. There was no immediate official comment from Washington, though Israeli sources characterised the decision as taken in concert with the United States. With both sides maintaining the right to resume fire, the truce remains fragile, and Israel warned it would respond "forcefully" to any further Hezbollah attack.
| Arab Levant-Maghreb press | −0.80 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Arab Gulf press | +0.20 | neutral |
| Iranian & allied press | −0.60 | critical |
We denounce the hypocrisy of Israel and the United States; the resistance is the only guarantee of Lebanese sovereignty.
By presenting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a symmetric and legitimate response to US and Israeli violations, the narrative creates a moral equivalence that justifies Iran's escalation and frames the resistance as the only credible actor.
Omits that Israel actually halted offensive operations and that the US is mediating a ceasefire, focusing instead on violations and Iran's response.
We support the US-led diplomatic process; Lebanese sovereignty must be strengthened through negotiations and American mediation.
By emphasizing Trump's role as a guarantor who restrains Israel, the narrative legitimizes American hegemony and presents the US as the indispensable mediator for peace in the region.
Omits the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, focusing instead on US diplomacy and the ceasefire process.
We affirm our strength and resilience; the enemy cannot violate our rights. We support the resistance and will defend our national interests through both diplomacy and force.
By alternating between victimhood (portraying Iran as a target of US-Israeli aggression) and assertion of power (closing Hormuz, military capabilities), the narrative constructs a national identity that justifies both resistance and negotiation as complementary strategies.
Omits that Israel has halted offensive operations and that US-Iran negotiations are making progress, focusing instead on continued Israeli attacks and internal Iranian debates.
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