Israel Sees Trump Driving Iran Policy as Rift Deepens Over Lebanon Deal

A senior Israeli official said Tuesday night that Jerusalem still has not seen the full terms of the Iran-U.S. agreement, after its request for the official text went unanswered. Against the backdrop of worsening ties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting to shape a strategy around Israel’s main security challenge, separating the Iran and Lebanon arenas. Officials at the meeting said, “We have accepted that Trump decides what we do in Iran.”

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Netanyahu, accusing Israel of fighting Hezbollah too long and causing too many deaths. He said Israel should not destroy a building every time it wants to kill one person, called Netanyahu’s approach in Lebanon excessive, and urged him to be more responsible. Trump added that Israel should have finished the Hezbollah issue quickly, and suggested Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa could do the job if Israel could not. He also said the deal with Iran is meant to prevent Tehran from getting nuclear weapons, adding that if Iran gets a bomb, “all hell will break loose.”

Trump said he had never cared much about regime change, but claimed the strike campaign had effectively brought it about because “the entire first and second tier” of Iran’s leadership was destroyed. He also said Netanyahu once went to Washington and pleaded with President Barack Obama not to make a deal with Iran, and claimed that without him Israel would not exist today.

In parallel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ending the war must also mean ending the occupation. He said the war is not over unless Israeli forces withdraw from the territories occupied in this war, and warned that any further Israeli military attack on Lebanon or continued occupation of Lebanese territory would be seen by Tehran as a violation of the understanding. Israeli media reported that officials in Jerusalem were stunned by the agreement and called it “shocking.” Despite the anger and lack of access to the exact wording, the signing process is already set, and the sides plan a ceremonial signing in Geneva on Friday. Until recently, Israel had expected the U.S.-Iran talks to collapse, including in assessments from early April.