Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to influence the final version of the emerging U.S.-Iran agreement through conservative media figures and friendly senators close to President Donald Trump, an Israeli source told CNN. According to the source, Netanyahu has been skeptical of Iran’s intentions throughout the talks with Washington and still believes no final deal will be signed, because Tehran will not accept meaningful limits on its nuclear program.
The source said that after Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran and opened a 60-day negotiating period, Netanyahu has been pushing his message through right-wing American commentators, including pro-Israel podcaster Mark Levin. Levin has called the deal “absurd” and described the planned Iranian reconstruction fund as “a slush fund.” Netanyahu is also trying to lean on pro-Israel senators to affect Trump’s position, even though some of them, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have recently voiced support for the agreement.
The Israeli source added that Netanyahu made clear to Trump that Israel does not see itself as bound by the agreement, which includes a “immediate and permanent” halt to the war in Lebanon. Separately, a senior Israeli official told Reuters that Israel is in “tough negotiations” with the United States over the continued deployment of IDF forces in southern Lebanon.
The official said, “Israel has no intention of withdrawing from its positions.” Soon afterward, the IDF spokesman published a map of the operating area in southern Lebanon, showing that, according to operational needs, Israeli forces are deployed up to about 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory. The reporting indicates that while Washington and Tehran are moving toward an understanding that includes a permanent end to fighting in Lebanon, Jerusalem is signaling that it will keep freedom of action and will not commit to a withdrawal or any change in its force posture in the south.
