President Donald Trump’s peace deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is in jeopardy before it can even take effect, as Israeli leaders signal no sense of obligation to end their war in Lebanon.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that “the memorandum of understanding to end the war between Iran and America is scheduled to be signed on Friday,” confirming Trump’s message Sunday that the long-awaited peace deal was imminent.
However, the Iranians have repeatedly asserted that any ceasefire deal will necessitate an end to hostilities in Lebanon, which Israel is not prepared to accept. In fact, Israel is now claiming the entire proposal is a slap in the face and a challenge to their sovereignty — and will not be bound by it.
“Israel is not subordinate to the United States. We are an independent and sovereign country,” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in response to the peace deal announcement. “We are not partners to this agreement, which does not safeguard our security. We must not withdraw from any [Lebanese] territory that our fighters have captured.”
Ben-Gvir said that while “we love the USA and are grateful to President Trump,” his country must “not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not formally weighed in on the proposed peace agreement, but ministers close to him, such as Ben-Gvir, have claimed to have his ear.
“The State of Israel is not a banana republic,” he said. “I say these things to the Prime Minister all the time, and repeat them in closed rooms at every important historical juncture: In historical moments, a historical decision must be made.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz, in his own statement, said that he and Netanyahu “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.”
Trump’s ceasefire deal, the text and details of which have not been released to the public, reportedly aims to establish a 60-day window of peace — during which, the U.S. and Iranian governments can negotiate longer-term agreements for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear development and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Simultaneous to U.S. operations in Iran over the last few months, Israel has been bombarding Lebanon in a campaign to dismantle Hezbollah. The terrorist group, a hand-in-glove affiliate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been pushed back from the south of the country. But Israeli leaders are not satisfied with routing Hezbollah from their border regions and show no signs of stopping their campaign despite international outcry.
The Israeli military bombed the environs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Sunday morning, just hours before Trump was set to announce the ceasefire plan. It came in response to a Hezbollah missile strike in northern Israel that missed its target. The president was furious at the Israeli government’s reaction, which rescinded their previous promise to back off from attacking Beirut.
“Hezbollah fired and hit the middle of nowhere,” Trump told Channel 12. “And then he had to do this f***ing attack — and in Beirut. It made me very angry.” Trump said Netanyahu showed “no f***ing judgement” in his decision-making and he “couldn’t believe this was happening.”
Pakistan announced Monday local time that the ceasefire agreement included “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
One Israeli Cabinet official told Channel 12 that “we must not agree to the Iranian equation, even at the cost of a severe confrontation with the U.S.”
TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR IRAN DEAL: ‘A VERY DIFFICULT GUY’
The prospect of a forced end to the Lebanon campaign could have severe ramifications for Netanyahu and his allies at home.
“There has never, ever, been a more absolute failure than Netanyahu’s diplomatic failure on the Iranian front,” Opposition leader Yair Lapid said, according to the Times of Israel. “The State of Israel won the battle; Netanyahu lost the war. The Israel Defense Forces fulfilled its missions, Netanyahu failed to deliver the goods.”
Lapid characterized the situation as “an American president openly and publicly telling the prime minister of Israel: ‘I am your boss, and you will do what you are told.’”
Reports out of Lebanon claim the southern region of the country has experienced a reduction in violence since the ceasefire was passed, though some scattered artillery fire has been noted.