Israeli Politicians Split Over Emerging US-Iran Deal

Israel’s political system reacted sharply to an emerging US-Iran agreement expected to be signed on Sunday, with the opposition blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a strategic failure and most coalition partners avoiding a formal response. Netanyahu himself had not issued a direct statement on the deal’s details as of the time of publication.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said the agreement serves none of Israel’s war aims because the Iranian regime would remain in place and could rebuild its nuclear program. “This is a total failure by Netanyahu, he is turning us into a client state,” Lapid wrote, adding that “no press conference or AI video will hide the failure.” He said the next government would have a “historic role” in repairing the damage.

National Unity leader Benny Gantz, a former defense minister, called it a strategic missed opportunity rather than an operational defeat. He said Israel achieved major military gains, but did not fully translate them into leverage in Lebanon, against Iran, or in the Iran-Lebanon connection. He warned the deal “does not guarantee anything” on nuclear issues or regional stability and said Israel must prepare for years of dealing with its consequences.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich did not address the deal directly, but urged immediate strikes on Hezbollah, saying, “The only way, for every shot toward our territory, ten buildings in the Dahieh should fall, tonight.” Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky praised Netanyahu’s ability to protect Israeli interests with President Donald Trump, while Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman called the deal “a total victory for the ayatollahs” and placed “100% responsibility” on Netanyahu. On the coalition side, MK Avichai Boaron backed Netanyahu against American pressure and said Israel must not retreat from Lebanon. At the same time, Netanyahu’s potential rivals Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, along with Itamar Ben Gvir and Yair Golan, had not responded directly, and unnamed experts warned the deal would revive the Iranian regime, leave its missile program untouched, and fail to meet Israel’s core security demands.