Jerusalem, April 17 (IANS) The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday announced in a statement the lifting of most gathering restrictions that were in place due to the war on the Iranian and Lebanese fronts.

The lifting of restrictions followed the start of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

The change in restrictions took effect at 4 pm Israeli time (1300 GMT) and allows gatherings without restrictions on the number of people in most areas of the country, except areas near the northern border with Lebanon, where a gathering limit of up to 1,000 people will apply until Saturday evening.

The lifting of restrictions will allow educational, cultural, and sports events in most areas of the country with no limitations. Xinhua news agency reported.

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday local time (2100 GMT), following an earlier announcement by US President Donald Trump. The truce aims to end more than a month of deadly escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has claimed over 2,000 lives.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israeli forces will continue to hold all areas they have “cleared and seized” in Lebanon, underscoring that military operations against Hezbollah are not yet complete, despite a ceasefire taking effect.

“The Israel Defence Forces will continue to hold all the places it has cleared and captured,” Katz said in a statement, adding that ground operations and strikes across Lebanon have achieved “many results” but have not been fully concluded.

He reiterated that disarming Hezbollah, whether through military or political means, remains a central objective of the campaign.

Earlier, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents in southern Lebanon against returning to areas south of the Litani River in a post on social media platform X, citing continued Israeli military presence due to Hezbollah activities.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will maintain a 10-km security zone in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period.

–IANS

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