Israel tells Trump it is not bound by Lebanon clause in Iran deal

Netanyahu tells US president Israel will not withdraw from Lebanon and will keep acting against Hezbollah; ministers believe cabinet fully backed him in defending Israel’s interests on northern front

According to Israeli officials, Netanyahu also told Trump that Israel will not withdraw from Lebanon. The IDF will remain in the positions it currently holds and will continue operating to foil threats from Hezbollah, including destroying terror infrastructure and responding to any attack on Israel.

The dispute comes after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Trump and Iran all announced that a U.S.-Iran agreement had been reached. According to Pakistan, the deal is meant to end the U.S.-Iran war and halt military operations on several fronts, including Lebanon.

That clause has become a red line for Israel. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group based in Lebanon, has been fighting Israel from across the northern border. Israel says it must retain freedom to strike Hezbollah targets in order to protect northern communities and prevent the group from rebuilding its forces near the border.

Israeli officials assessed overnight that Tehran had decided to “close the incident” and avoid attacking Israel after an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital. Iran had threatened to retaliate, but Israeli officials believe U.S. pressure and mediation efforts led Tehran to stand down rather than risk derailing the agreement.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyy11t1p11mg#autoplay

Defense minister: Israel staying in south Lebanon; if Iran strikes, we’ll hit it ‘with full force’

Lebanese media reports IDF drone strike, artillery fire in south * Trump calls Netanyahu ‘very difficult guy,’ says attacks on Iran could resume if nuclear deal not reached

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich join a growing chorus of criticism across the opposition and coalition over the US-Iran deal.

Eisenkot, who is among the frontrunners to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections, blasts what he calls “the dismal outcome of a failed government” and says that there is “a vast gulf” between Netanyahu’s “empty promises of total victory” and the emerging deal.

He also criticizes Netanyahu for failing to face the public directly, noting that Israelis are once again learning about a major agreement affecting their security from foreign leaders rather than from their own government.

Smotrich similarly condemns the agreement, calling it “bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-15-2026/