Since February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran for the first time, there have been about 40 statements stating that this was over, that there was a definitive ceasefire and an agreement on Hormuz or nuclear weapons. It never was. Now, however, both Washington and Tehran, plus the Pakistani mediator, say this is it. Despite the nuances in the air, the world is celebrating at this time what seems to be a definitive peace agreement in the Middle East.
However, the Government of Tel Aviv, the third leg, has not participated in these negotiations and now we know that, in addition, it does not abide by what was agreed regarding the other open front, that of Lebanon. This morning, the Israeli Diplomatic Security Cabinet gave full support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his decision to disengage the Lebanese front from the negotiations between the US and Iran. The Israeli Executive has made it clear that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will maintain their freedom of action against the Shiite organization Hezbollah (ally of the Ayatollahs), despite Tehran’s demands and the historic agreement announced by US President Donald Trump.
The diplomatic conflict erupted following the official announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, backed by Trump and Iran, about the finalization of an agreement that seeks to end hostilities and stop military operations on multiple fronts, including Lebanon. According to the terms released by Sharif, both parties would have agreed to the immediate and permanent cessation of operations. However, this clause on Lebanon has become a red line for Israel.
Hours before the deal was finalized last Sunday, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered an IDF precision strike against the Dahieh district, Hezbollah’s political and military stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in response to the militia’s previous fire on Israeli territory. The top Hezbollah commander, Ali Musa Daqduq, was eliminated in the operation. According to reports, the IDF notified the US Central Command (CENTCOM) shortly before carrying out the action.
This bombing infuriated President Trump, who after the attacks had a tense call with Netanyahu and publicly expressed his discontent on the social network Truth Social: “This morning’s attacks should not have happened, particularly on such a special day when we are so close to a Peace Agreement with Iran,” he wrote, adding that, although Israel has the right to defend itself, the threat it faced was “very small and insignificant.” “He doesn’t have a fucking shred of judgment,” is the harshest phrase that the American dedicates to his Israeli ally.
Israeli ministerial sources admitted under anonymity to media such as Ynet y The Jerusalem Post that “relations with Trump right now are more tense than ever.” Despite the friction, the entire cabinet supported the position of making Hezbollah pay for each aggression, even if that prolongs the rift with the White House.
Respond in Lebanon, avoid the Iranian front
During the cabinet meeting, the ministers of Bibi They agreed that Israel will not interfere in the matters of Washington’s agreement with Tehran, since that matter is the exclusive responsibility of Trump. However, they established an immovable position regarding the north.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich led a proposal supported by several senior security officials: if Iran attacks Israel, the military response must be carried out forcefully in Lebanon and not within Iran’s territory. The central argument is that Iranian territory is “Trump’s theater”, so striking there could be interpreted as sabotage of the US president’s pact.
On the contrary, Lebanon is Israel’s immediate security arena. Attacking there is strategically “easier, cheaper and more accessible” (“five-minute flight instead of four hours”), sending a message of deterrence to Iran while weakening Hezbollah.
Smotrich even proposed a pressure strategy: warning residents of the Bekaa Valley (an area controlled by Hezbollah) to evacuate within an hour if Iran fires on Israel, before launching massive attacks, thus seeking to generate strong internal rejection of the militia within the Lebanese Shiite community.
The position of not giving in to American and Iranian demands gained unanimous support from the cabinet, with strong statements from several ministers. Eli Cohen, head of Energy and Infrastructure, has warned of the need to maintain diplomatic balance: “We must not break the cord with Trump, but the answers must be clear… we must create deterrence.” It has perhaps been the most moderate. However, Gila Gamliel, from Innovation and Science, advocated to respond and “capture more of their territory”, that is, from Lebanon.
Orit Strock, Minister of National Missions, thanked Netanyahu for “withstanding the test” and demanding a price that discourages future attacks and Miri Regev, of Transportation, affirmed that Israel “is not a protectorate” and that it must stop the measured exchange of blows.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the ultra dedicated to National Security, was one of the toughest, as expected. He demanded a disproportionate stance: “In the Middle East you have to be the crazy people… Any fire against Israel is a declaration of war and we must respond disproportionately,” he said, according to the local press. “The Trump agreement does not bind us,” he said, expressly. “Israel is not subject to the US and we are an independent and sovereign nation. Every time we give in to international pressure at the expense of Israel’s security, we pay a price in blood with interest. It was like this in the Oslo Accords, it was like this in the Lebanon agreement in 2006, and it was like this in every period of containment in Gaza that exploded in our faces,” he elaborates.
The nationalist and religious minister maintains that in Israel they “love” the United States and are “grateful” to the United States. “And yet, the State of Israel is not a banana republic. I say these things to the prime minister all the time, and I repeat them in closed rooms at every important historical moment: in historical moments, a historical decision must be made… We must make it clear: Every launch of a drone, UAV or missile towards Israel from Lebanon will lead to an Israeli attack on Dahiya,” he warns. Israel must not “give in on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah,” he concludes.
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us (…), the State of Israel is not a banana republic”
Itamar Ben-Gvir
For the moment, Israeli officials assessed that Tehran decided to “close the incident” of the bombing in Dahieh and avoid direct retaliation thanks to mediation and pressure from the United States, which sought to protect the announcement of its peace agreement.
Smoke rises after an Israeli attack near the village of Kfar Tebnit in Nabatieh, Lebanon, despite a temporary ceasefire, on June 12, 2026.
Also the opposition
The rejection of the agreement not only comes from within the Government, but from the opposition, which is positioning itself, incidentally, before the elections scheduled for next fall. “Israel wakes up today to an agreement that is being developed far from here and from its interests,” said former Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot and leader of the centrist Yashar! party. (Straight!). In his X account, Eisenkot stated that the agreement of the “failed” government of Benjamin Netanyahu should have preserved “Israeli freedom of action.” “The security and regional opportunity that the Israeli Government should have taken advantage of was lost; things could and should have been different,” he said, as highlighted by EFE. And he criticized that the Israelis learned of the agreement through “foreign leaders”, while Netanyahu “refuses to look the public in the eye.”
From the left, Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, stated that the announcement means “a tough morning for Israel.” “In one fell swoop, immense military achievements achieved with the courage of our pilots and the blood of our fighters have been erased, while Netanyahu stood on the sidelines: weak, sick, isolated and powerless,” Golan said on his networks.
The leftist and former chief of staff of the Israeli Army also condemned it, as he claimed it channels millions to Tehran, “leaves intact” the Persian country’s nuclear infrastructure, “preserves the ballistic threat” and throws “a lifeline” to the ayatollah regime.
The conditional withdrawal plan
Israel has stated that it will only modify its deployment if it advances under the framework proposed by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Under this proposal, the IDF would only withdraw from southern Lebanon if Hezbollah effectively withdraws beyond the Litani River, allowing regular Lebanese army forces to take control of the area.
As long as Hezbollah refuses to meet these conditions, the IDF will continue to operate on the ground in southern Lebanon to ensure the security of communities in northern Israel and prevent the terrorist group from rebuilding its infrastructure near the border.
