U.S. intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may take steps that could damage President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a long-term peace deal with Iran, according to a Washington Post report cited on Friday and based on current and former American officials.
The report says American intelligence believes Netanyahu is under heavy political pressure to keep fighting in Lebanon and that Israel is determined to continue military operations against Hezbollah. That, it says, clashes with a key clause in the U.S.-Iran memorandum signed this week, which calls for an end to the fighting in Lebanon. The warning comes as tensions rise between Jerusalem and senior Trump administration officials, who have publicly cautioned Israel against strikes on Hezbollah that could jeopardize the deal with Tehran.
The dispute intensified over the past 24 hours. Four IDF soldiers were killed overnight in a Hezbollah drone attack, and Israel responded today with a wave of strikes in southern Lebanon. Fire also continued between the sides, and amid the escalation U.S. and Iranian officials announced that talks due to begin today in Switzerland were postponed. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was to lead the American delegation, also delayed his trip.
One American source familiar with the intelligence assessment said that ahead of Israel’s national elections expected in the fall, Netanyahu’s political survival is tied to showing Israelis that he will not withdraw forces from Lebanon and intends to intensify the campaign against Hezbollah. The report says intelligence also concluded that any ceasefire or withdrawal could be seen in Israel as a defeat for Netanyahu. It added that Israeli officials are dissatisfied with the U.S.-Iran memorandum because they believe it weakens the goal of maintaining maximum pressure on Tehran.
Trump himself hinted at the disagreement on Wednesday in France, after announcing the U.S.-Iran memorandum. He said he had a “small disagreement about Lebanon” with Netanyahu and added that he had asked the Israeli leader not to “collapse a building every time someone from Hezbollah enters it.” The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report, while a senior Israeli official said Israel’s military activity in Lebanon is meant only to protect Israeli civilians from Hezbollah’s ongoing attacks. The report also says public support in Israel for action against Hezbollah remains high, with tens of thousands of evacuees from the north demanding a heavy blow against the group and Netanyahu facing criticism across the political spectrum for failing to remove the threat.
