Israel sets out ‘Yellow Line’ in south Lebanon as Hezbollah rejects move

BEIRUT: Israel has announced what it calls a Yellow Line in southern Lebanon near the border, where its forces are continuing operations despite a 10-day ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had accepted the truce, which took effect on Friday, but would keep a 10-kilometre (six-mile) deep security zone along the border in southern Lebanon.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said a Yellow Line had been established in the south of the country. A day later, it released a map showing what it described as a forward defence line running from the Mediterranean coast in the west to Lebanon’s frontier with Syria in the east.

The Israeli military said five divisions, together with navy forces, were operating in the area to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and prevent direct threats to communities in northern Israel.

The zone includes border villages that were destroyed or badly damaged after an earlier round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began in 2023. Most residents have left the area, although people in some Christian villages have remained despite Israeli army evacuation orders.

Comparison with Gaza

In Gaza, the term Yellow Line refers to an Israeli military demarcation put in place during an October 2025 ceasefire with Hamas, creating a de facto boundary inside the territory.

That line effectively divides Gaza between an area under direct Israeli military control, where Palestinians are barred, and a Hamas-administered area where residents remain exposed to Israeli strikes. It has altered daily life in Gaza and stopped tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from going back to their homes.

The Israeli military has repeatedly said it targeted people it described as militants approaching the line in Gaza, and it has started doing the same in Lebanon.

Lebanese military expert Hassan Jouni said the arrangement in Lebanon mirrors the concept used in Gaza. He said, “the Yellow Line in Lebanon is a copy of the idea and philosophy of the Yellow Line in Gaza”, and noted that it even carries the same name.

He added that the Gaza line was “the result of an agreement with Hamas. In Lebanon, there is no agreement… it was decided unilaterally” by Israel, describing it as “an aggressive decision”.

Lebanon’s position and Hezbollah response

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that direct talks planned with Israel were intended to end hostilities and Israel’s occupation in the south.

Under the terms of the truce, which do not mention an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, Israel retains the right to keep targeting Hezbollah in order to prevent planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.

Israeli forces did not fully withdraw after the last war, despite being required to do so under a November 2024 ceasefire.

Hezbollah has strongly opposed the planned negotiations and has also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops, while denouncing what it views as Israeli expansionism.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Monday, “We will bring down this Yellow Line through the resistance (Hezbollah), with our insistence on our legitimate right to defend ourselves and our country”.

He also said Israel would not be able to impose any buffer zone in southern Lebanon and that Hezbollah would force Israeli troops out if they remained “on any inch of our territory”.