Israel was notably left out of the talks that led to the newly brokered two-week ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran, even though the Jewish state had ultimately agreed on the time frame.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly wanted President Donald Trump to follow through on his Tuesday night threat against the Islamic regime, but a deal was struck before the world could find out what Trump meant by “A whole civilization will die tonight.”
Hours before the 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline, Netanyahu signaled in a video that the Israeli military would continue to “crush the Iranian terror regime” while it is on the defensive. Israel’s apparent plan was to continue waging war for another one or two months to further destabilize Tehran, Politico reported before the temporary ceasefire was struck.
It is perhaps because of this adversarial stance that Israeli negotiators did not play a substantive role in the latest negotiations.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid confirmed the lack of Israeli involvement in the ceasefire, which he panned as a “political disaster.”
“Israel wasn’t even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security,” Lapid wrote on social media early Wednesday.
“The military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn’t meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,” he continued. “It will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu wrought due to arrogance, negligence, and a lack of strategic planning.”
Netanyahu’s office released a statement in support of the ceasefire.
“Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” his office posted on X late Tuesday.
Israel also supports the U.S. goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Netanyahu’s office said.
The ceasefire, however, does not restrict the Israeli military from targeting Hezbollah, an Iranian-linked proxy based in Lebanon. Israel is still conducting airstrikes in Lebanon, but Hezbollah is bullish about its chances of defeating Israeli forces.
“Today we stand on the threshold of a great historic victory, which will be achieved thanks to the sacrifices of the fighters, the blood of the martyrs, and your unmatched steadfastness and patience,” the terrorist group said.
Another aspect of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire pertains to uranium enrichment, a key priority for Israel as it sees an Iranian nuclear weapon as an existential threat to its existence. The U.S. and Iran have both claimed a win on this point, with the U.S. saying there will be “no enrichment,” and the Iranians saying the U.S. has “accepted enrichment” as a part of the deal.
Trump is also pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear “dust,” a reference to the contaminated debris and rubble left after B-2 bombers struck three Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. If Iran does not hand over the radioactive material, War Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. reserves the right to attack the nation again.
TRUMP INSISTS ON ‘NO ENRICHMENT’ OF URANIUM AFTER IRAN SAID US CEASEFIRE DEAL ACCEPTED IT
As part of the two-week ceasefire, Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the condition that it can toll ships passing through the key maritime lane. Tehran said it would charge transit fees in coordination with Oman, but the neighboring Gulf State denied it would do so.
Long-term access to the waterway, widely considered to be the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, depends on whether the U.S. can secure lasting peace with Iran after the 14-day truce.