Security Officials Criticize Political Leadership Over Iran Deal and Lebanon Policy

Israel’s security establishment is discussing possible ways to influence the emerging agreement between the United States and Iran, but no decisions have been taken yet. According to the report, officials are examining several options, including steps that could create leverage over the deal’s terms.

The IDF says it is especially important to insist on Israel’s security interests in Lebanon, a stance that could also affect the Iran track. On Tuesday afternoon, the Air Force carried out a rare strike on Hezbollah militants beyond the Yellow Line, which Israel presented as a sign that it will continue to defend what it sees as essential under the broader understandings that have formed.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has already presented the political leadership with three guiding principles for the next stage: preserving the buffer zone, maintaining military freedom of action, and establishing an effective disarmament mechanism. The military says it wants to preserve operational freedom.

At the same time, senior figures in the security establishment voiced deep frustration over the gap between how the campaign is being managed and the military gains achieved, saying it has left Israel in a difficult position. They told Channel 12: “There were no real strategic discussions about alternatives and implications, some of the goals presented were not rational. There is really no one to work with, it is a sham cabinet, just a façade, there are no orderly decision-making processes.”