Israel Police officially announced Sunday morning that this year’s Lag BaOmer hillula at Meron will not take place in its traditional mass format, after authorities sealed roads leading to the mountain and barred public access to the Kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai due to escalating security threats in northern Israel. Under the restrictions, no private vehicles or buses will be allowed into Meron, including those carrying rebbeim or public officials, while entry to the town itself will be limited to residents and pre-authorized individuals presenting identification.

Instead of the usual gathering of tens of thousands, authorities approved a limited symbolic framework designed to preserve the traditional ceremonies under strict supervision. Three bonfires are scheduled to take place Monday night: the central bonfire of the Boyan Rebbe, a Sephardi ceremony led by Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and a third event associated with Dati Leumi rabbis. Each ceremony will reportedly be capped at 200 participants coordinated in advance by organizers, while livestream broadcasts from the Rashbi compound are also expected.

The decision came after Israeli officials spent days preparing a broader controlled-access framework that would have allowed approximately 37,500 worshippers to rotate through Meron over roughly 32 hours, with about 10,000 people permitted on the mountain at one time. But Home Front Command restrictions tightened sharply Friday, limiting outdoor gatherings in the area to 200 people and effectively collapsing the larger plan. Israeli officials cited Hezbollah rocket fire, explosive drone threats, and concerns that large crowds near the Lebanese border could not be evacuated quickly in the event of an attack.

Police and Border Police forces have now deployed extensively throughout the area, including forests and open areas surrounding the mountain, to prevent unauthorized arrivals by vehicle or on foot. In a sharp warning, police said they had been exposed to “serious and extremist publications calling on the public to equip themselves with assault equipment, pepper spray, and other means intended to harm police officers.”

“The forces will operate on the ground with one goal: protecting public safety and enforcing the law,” police said, adding that “any attempt to act violently against security forces or disturb public order will be met with a firm response and zero tolerance.”