US Intelligence Reports Warn Netanyahu May Prolong Lebanon War

Current and former U.S. officials said recently circulated American intelligence assessments, including a new report distributed this week, warn that Israel may try to undermine the emerging U.S.-Iran understanding. The warning, reported Friday by The Washington Post, says the concern is tied to intense political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep the war in Lebanon going.

According to the reports, Israel appears likely to continue military operations against Hezbollah, which would violate one of the central elements of the developing deal between Iran and the United States, under which Lebanon is expected to be among the fronts where a ceasefire would take hold. The assessment said Israeli frustration is growing over the terms of the Trump memorandum of understanding, which it sees as conflicting with the broader effort to maximize pressure on Iran.

The report also pointed to the approaching Knesset elections and linked Netanyahu’s political survival to his refusal to pull back IDF troops and to his interest in escalation against Hezbollah. It said Israel views the agreement as limiting its ability to defend itself against Hezbollah.

The assessment further said that any halt to strikes or withdrawal from Lebanon would be seen in Israel as a defeat for Netanyahu. The article appeared alongside other coverage about a U.S. initiative for a partial IDF withdrawal from Lebanon’s security zone and the deaths of a tank battalion commander and three other soldiers in southern Lebanon.