Israel’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett says Israeli forces in Lebanon are being held back from acting against Hezbollah despite the deaths of five soldiers, Al Jazeera reports.

“The political echelon instructed them to hold their fire, and forced them to wait for approval from senior levels who aren’t in the field, in order to neutralise threats from Hezbollah terrorists who are planning to strike them,” he says, claiming that the military is being barred from deploying covering fire to protect wounded soldiers and rescue forces even after troops are hit.