Israel’s political leadership has instructed the military to freeze all operations classified as "sensitive" in southern Lebanon following a request from the United States, Israel’s public broadcaster reported Friday evening.
According to Kan , the directive will remain in force until further notice, pending greater clarity over the current escalation between the US and Iran , as well as the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
It was not made immediately clear what types of operations were considered "sensitive". Some Israeli airstrikes were reported across southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Kan said that US officials, who have in recent days focused on the war with Iran, are concerned that Israel could be drawn into the conflict again if fighting in Lebanon worsens. Iran insists Lebanon be included in Tehran's memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Israel and Iran last exchanged direct attacks in June, with tensions escalating again this week after Iran and the US traded fire in the Gulf.
Despite the flareup and US President Donald Trump saying the memorandum with Iran was "over," mediators including Pakistan and Qatar are still attempting to salvage the diplomatic track.
Quoting an Israeli security source, Kan said Israel was prepared to exploit any Iranian attack to launch large-scale strikes inside Iran, but following pressure from the White House, the Israeli military was instructed to temporarily pause the plans in order to avoid widening the current confrontation.
US delegation in Lebanon discusses implementing framework deal
Separately, Kan reported that the Israeli military expects to begin withdrawing from the designated " pilot zones " in southern Lebanon as early as the coming week, coinciding with a new round of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Rome on 15 and 16 July.
Under a US-backed trilateral framework , Israel is to gradually withdraw from occupied areas of southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy and assume full security control while dismantling militant infrastructure. Hezbollah, the group fighting Israel, has rejected the agreement.
Although the first two pilot zones have not been officially confirmed, reports have suggested they could include the villages of Zawtar al-Gharbiya and Froun.
Lebanon has made Israel's withdrawal from the two pilot zones a condition for participating in the Rome talks.
A US military delegation met with Lebanon's army in Beirut to discuss the implementation of the plan, a Lebanese military official told AFP on Saturday.
"The American military delegation arrived and began meetings with the Lebanese army command to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy," the official said, requesting anonymity.
"This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon... it is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement."
In Washington, a US official had said that "we have moved to the implementation stage of the framework".
"The first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned," the official said on condition of anonymity.
US Central Command will coordinate on the zones with both countries, he said.
Next week's talks in Rome precede Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's expected visit to Washington on 21 July the invitation of his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to remain in a South Lebanon buffer zone if Hezbollah is not disarmed. The Iran-backed group has refused to disarm as long as the occupation continues. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March have killed more than 4,300 people and wounded thousands more.