Zohar says Israel is still heading for total victory despite Iran deal

Following the announcement of an agreement with Iran and a tense day that included Iranian threats and a public dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said Monday on Ynet that Israel is still on the way to a "total victory." He said the memorandum has not been fully published, but according to Iran and Pakistan it includes an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon as well.

Zohar said Israel will strike Beirut's Dahieh again if Hezbollah fires again. He also attacked local leaders who voiced frustration over the deal and the ongoing fighting, saying, "They have not been praising the government for a very long time." He said Israel cares about one thing only, whether Iran will have nuclear weapons, and insisted, "The answer is no, it will not have nuclear weapons." If Israel sees its security threatened, he said, it will hit Iran so hard that "they will not only go down on their knees, they will bow their heads."

According to Israeli officials, Netanyahu told Trump that Israel is not bound by the agreement's "Lebanon clause." Asked about that, Zohar said that if Israel decides the deal does not serve its interests, it will withdraw from it and attack Iran independently. He added that Israel had struck in Beirut and that if Iran had dared attack Israel on Sunday, it would have suffered damage worth billions. "We respect the U.S., very much, but our decisions are independent, and that is why Trump is also a little angry," he said.

Trump, speaking to U.S. media, said he was unhappy, to put it mildly, with the timing of Israel's Dahieh strike. He said he called Netanyahu and asked, "What the hell is he doing," and in another interview said, "Why did Bibi have to carry out that damn strike?!" He also called Netanyahu "a very difficult man." Zohar replied that these were compliments, saying they show Netanyahu is not doing Trump’s bidding but is acting for Israel’s security.

The deal drew criticism in northern Israel. Mateh Asher Regional Council head Moshe Davidovich said, "Who are we? We are just the ones who live here and get hit." Metula Council head David Azoulay said residents woke up again to gunfire and explosions as part of the so-called peace, and warned that the north is now in a worse position than before October 7. Zohar answered that local leaders have not been praising the government for a long time, though he said that is their right.