Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, 22 June declared that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) fighters deployed in southern Lebanon have been granted full freedom of action to neutralise any direct or emerging threat — whether against the troops themselves or against residents of northern Israel. The statement came as diplomatic activity around the Israel-Lebanon security situation intensified, with US-Iran negotiations underway in Switzerland.

Netanyahu's Directive to the IDF

Speaking on Monday, Netanyahu made clear that his operational orders to the military, jointly issued with Defence Minister Israel Katz, remain unchanged. 'Our fighters in southern Lebanon have full freedom of action to thwart any direct or emerging threat against them or against the residents of the north. The IDF has no restrictions in this matter. I stand behind them, the entire nation stands behind them,' Netanyahu said.

He further asserted that Israeli forces would maintain their presence in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary. 'I stand firm on the fact that we will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as is required to protect the residents of the north and all the citizens of the state,' he added. Notably, this affirmation came just days after Netanyahu and Katz had ordered the military to observe a ceasefire in Lebanon on Saturday.

US Diplomatic Push: A Deconfliction Mechanism

Earlier on Monday, US Vice President J D Vance briefed reporters on the progress of talks held in Switzerland between the United States and Iran. On the Lebanon dimension specifically, Vance said negotiators had achieved 'very good progress' in building what he described as a deconfliction mechanism — a framework aimed at preventing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah from spiralling into a wider regional conflict.

'We've been, I think, very good at setting up what we're calling a deconfliction mechanism,' Vance said. When asked whether Washington was pressing for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Vance offered a carefully balanced response: 'We want Israel's security to be protected, and we also want Lebanon's sovereignty to be protected. And this is going to be an ongoing conversation.'

Regional Partners in the Loop

Vance confirmed that the United States has maintained active contact with regional partners throughout the negotiation process, including Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The breadth of that diplomatic engagement signals Washington's intent to manage the conflict's spillover potential across the Gulf and the Levant simultaneously.

What This Means for the Region

Netanyahu's insistence on unrestricted operational latitude for the IDF — even as US diplomacy attempts to construct a deconfliction architecture — underscores the tension between Israel's security imperatives and the broader international push for de-escalation. This is not the first time Jerusalem has signalled that diplomatic processes will not constrain its military posture in Lebanese territory. The coming days will test whether the US-brokered deconfliction mechanism can hold against the backdrop of Netanyahu's declared freedom-of-action mandate.