JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the cancellation of this year’s large-scale Lag BaOmer celebrations at Mount Meron, limiting the annual Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai to a symbolic format only, Israeli officials said Sunday.

The decision was driven by security concerns over the fragile ceasefire with Lebanon and the site’s proximity to the border with Hezbollah strongholds. Officials cited the risk of rocket fire into the area and the challenges of evacuating large crowds in the event of an attack.

Netanyahu’s directive comes as government ministries involved in organizing the event have been instructed to freeze preparations for a mass gathering, according to reports. The hillula, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of participants to the tomb of the second-century sage in northern Israel, has been a focal point of Lag BaOmer observances for generations.

“Fear of an event with many victims due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon,” the prime minister’s office indicated as the background for the order. The site’s location near the Lebanese border, combined with the potential for rocket attacks and difficulties in timely large-scale evacuation, factored into the assessment.

The move aligns with broader security evaluations amid ongoing tensions in the north, even as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire extension between Israel and Lebanon remains in effect. Police have been directed to prevent pilgrims from arriving at the site, officials said.

No immediate comment was available from organizers or religious leaders on the scaled-back plans. In past years, the Meron celebrations have drawn massive crowds, though a deadly crowd crush in 2021 that killed 45 people led to heightened safety scrutiny.