Why Israel's Netanyahu is unhappy with US-Iran deal to end war: 'Trump's agreement does not bind us'
Israeli ministers expressed displeasure over the deal between Iran and the US, which is yet to be signed and formalised. The proposed pact to end
Israeli ministers expressed displeasure over the deal between Iran and the US, which is yet to be signed and formalised. The proposed pact to end the Middle East war drew ire as it reportedly included the Lebanon conflict. US President Donald Trump, Pakistani mediators and Iran said the deal includes a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. According to AFP, two far-right ministers claimed Israel was not bound by the deal. Meanwhile, a leading opposition contender in the upcoming elections said it marked a "dangerous turn" for the country's security. In the first reaction, Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on his Telegram channel, "Trump's agreement does not bind us... we are not party to this agreement. It does not safeguard our security." He said the aim is to dismantle the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which is operating in Lebanon. "We must not settle for anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah.
We must not withdraw from a single inch of territory that our soldiers have captured and cleared of terrorist infrastructure," he said. Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also echoed the sentiment, calling the deal "bad for Israel". Smotrich also called for a stronger campaign in Lebanon. "We will be judged in Lebanon. This is our war, our soldiers, and the immediate security of our northern residents," he was quoted by AFP as saying. "I will continue working to ensure that we stand firm on our position and allow the IDF complete freedom of action to continue pushing Hezbollah farther away," Smotrich added. According to Reuters, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military would remain in security zones it has captured in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made this clear to Trump. Katz said Monday that the country would not withdraw its forces from a vast swath of southern Lebanon they have effectively occupied for weeks under the US-Iran deal, “despite all the existing pressures and those that will still come,” the Times of Israel reported.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit, to protect the border and Israeli communities from there against jihadist elements,” Katz was quoted as saying. He reportedly said the security zones will be “cleared of local residents, and all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, including the houses in the contact-line villages that served as terror outposts, will be destroyed.” There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What did US-Iran deal say on Lebanon The country’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, told the Assembly session in Islamabad Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator between the US and Iran in peace talks, said that “after three months and 16 days of unparalleled trials, the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations has been announced across all fronts, including Iran, America, and Lebanon”.
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