Report: Trump Pressed Netanyahu for Major Concessions on Lebanon and Syria, Israel Rejected Them

US President Donald Trump recently pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with what Israeli sources described as extreme demands to reach an understanding with Iran. According to the report, Trump wanted Israel to withdraw from five positions in southern Lebanon and from the Syrian Hermon area, a scenario Israeli security officials view as the worst possible outcome.

Netanyahu rejected the proposal outright during the call. The demand was reportedly part of a broader American effort to build wider arrangements with Tehran, while in Jerusalem the political leadership is said to be determined to preserve full Israeli freedom of action in the north, including on the path to any possible deal with Iran.

The issue is tied to a strike carried out Sunday in Beirut’s Dahieh district. Israeli officials said the operation was also meant to signal to Trump that Israel will keep operating freely in Lebanon, and possibly to try to derail an agreement at the last minute. The report said the action came amid growing concern in Israel that the Trump administration might try to limit IDF operational freedom in Lebanon.

At the same time, the US has been applying heavy pressure on Iran’s leadership to prevent an armed retaliation against Israel, in an effort to avoid a wider regional escalation. On social media in the United States, especially among MAGA supporters, criticism has grown that Israel’s move was intended to block a deal with Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the authority over war or negotiations does not rest with him or his government. He said, "The decision regarding war or negotiations is in the hands of the Supreme Leader and the Supreme National Security Council, and everyone must obey it." The report said this leaves Iran’s diplomatic and military maneuvering in the hands of Mojtaba Khamenei.