Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the cancellation of the annual mass gatherings on Mt. Meron for Lag BaOmer, citing ongoing security threats in the north.

The annual event, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of Yidden from across Eretz Yisrael and the world to the tziyun of the  Tanna Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai,, will instead be heavily restricted.

According to a letter signed by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and distributed by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Hilula will be held this year with only a limited, symbolic presence of 1,500 people. The precise details and parameters of this restricted attendance will be determined and announced at a later date.

Fuchs’ letter cited the “fear of a mass-casualty event due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon.”

Furthermore, officials noted the sheer proximity of the makom kadosh to the volatile northern border, recent rocket fire directed at the region, and the logistical impossibility of safely and swiftly evacuating a crowd of hundreds of thousands should an emergency arise.

The announcement comes as a disappointment to the multitudes who eagerly anticipate the Meron Hilula each year, and it remaine to be seen if askanim will endeavor to appeal the decision.