Who Gets the Orders
IDF officers stationed in southern Lebanon said they were not informed about the ceasefire and only found out via foreign media reports and Telegram posts, according to an N12 report on Friday. In a war machine run from the top, the people on the ground were left chasing updates from outside channels while the apparatus kept moving. One of the officers said, "We were not updated regarding the cessation of hostilities," and added, "These are the most dangerous hours for us. We are trying to keep the soldiers alert and on standby, and this is no simple task." The officer also said, "We still have many tasks and work here that we were supposed to complete."
What the Military Kept Doing
According to N12, the IDF's position is that the military will continue to hold captured Lebanese territory, with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir approving operational plans to deepen Lebanon operations if needed. Five IDF divisions are operating in southern Lebanon and are currently awaiting orders on how to proceed amid the ceasefire, N12 reported. The hierarchy at the top was still issuing plans and holding territory while the troops below were left waiting for instructions, a familiar arrangement in which the consequences land on those closest to the front.
Earlier on Friday, the IDF announced that it had taken control of a key ridge in southern Lebanon on Thursday night, minutes before the ceasefire came into effect. Soldiers from an elite unit parachuted onto the "Christophani Ridge" to maintain an operational presence in the area before the halt in fighting, the military said. The timing made sure the military could lock in another position before the pause, because no ceasefire is ever just a ceasefire when control of land is still the real prize.
Who Declares Peace, Who Lives With It
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday and began at midnight Israel time on the night between Thursday and Friday. Trump said in a Truth Social post, "Both sides want to see peace, and I believe that will happen, quickly!" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ceasefire as "an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon." Netanyahu said, "We have changed the balance of security," and added that Israel will maintain a security buffer, stretching 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon, for the duration of the ceasefire in order to deter the threat posed by Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
The language of peace came from the summit of power, while the soldiers in southern Lebanon were still being told nothing directly. The ceasefire was announced by a president on social media, praised by a prime minister as historic, and paired with a buffer zone that keeps military control in place. Meanwhile, the officers on the ground said they were learning about the halt in fighting from foreign media reports and Telegram posts.
The report leaves the basic split in plain view: decisions made above, territory held below, and frontline personnel expected to keep order in the middle of it all. Five IDF divisions remain in southern Lebanon awaiting orders, while the military says it will continue to hold captured Lebanese territory and may deepen operations if needed.