IDF declassifies first operational order of Second Lebanon War

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday released the first operational order for the Second Lebanon War, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the conflict that began on July 12, 2006.

The document was declassified as the Jewish state marked two decades since the fatal abduction of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were patrolling the Israel-Lebanon border fence when they were taken hostage by Hezbollah terrorists. Three other soldiers were killed in the attack, and three more were seriously wounded.

The incident triggered a 34-day military conflict between the Jewish state and the Iranian-backed Shi’ite terrorist group. On Aug. 11, 2006, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1701, declaring the end to hostilities.

Among the documents released on Saturday was the IDF’s first operational directive, titled “General Staff Order No. 1.” Issued under the operation’s original codename, “Just Reward,” it outlined plans for what was initially intended to be a limited military operation before the fighting escalated into the Second Lebanon War.

“The IDF is preparing to operate simultaneously in the Gaza and Lebanon theaters,” the opening section states. “Two IDF soldiers were abducted in the Zar’it sector along the Lebanon border during a large-scale Hezbollah attack, in which Israeli civilians were also harmed.”

It continues: “The Air Force has struck targets in Southern Lebanon. The IDF is preparing for massive Katyusha rocket fire on the home front beginning this morning.”

The order also addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip, where the military was conducting “Operation Summer Rains” following the June 2006 abduction of soldier Gilad Shalit.

“Numerous terrorists have been killed so far. During the night, the Air Force struck the Palestinian Foreign Ministry,” the document states. “No change in Judea and Samaria.”

The military also released a statement from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announcing the expansion of the ground campaign on Aug. 12, 2006, after approval by Israel’s Security Cabinet.

“In accordance with the Cabinet’s decision, the IDF began overnight to expand its ground activity in Lebanon toward the Litani River,” the statement says.

“IDF ground forces, with Air Force and Navy support, will operate in the area from which rockets are launched toward the State of Israel, with the aim of reducing the firing on residents of the north and deepening the damage inflicted on the Hezbollah organization,” it adds.

Hezbollah resumed rocket and drone attacks from Southern Lebanon on March 2, 2026, shattering a ceasefire that had been in place since November 2024.

The IDF responded with a broad air campaign against Hezbollah targets and expanded ground operations in Lebanon aimed at preventing Hezbollah attacks on Israeli communities.

Following the renewed fighting, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pledged to do “the impossible” to end cross-border hostilities and moved to outlaw the Iranian proxy.

Israeli and Lebanese officials later held five rounds of direct talks at the U.S. State Department, resulting in a framework of understandings reached on June 26 that is contingent on Hezbollah’s removal from Southern Lebanon.