‘Israel’ fears that new US-Iran understandings are “strengthening Tehran’s hand” in Lebanon and eroding Tel Aviv’s so-called military freedom, while leaving the disarmament of Hezbollah “a long way off,” according to a report by Axios on Tuesday.
Entitled “Israel fears Trump is strengthening Iran’s hand in Lebanon,” the report, by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, says the framework reached in Switzerland and the memorandum of understanding signed last week have effectively folded Lebanon into US-Iran diplomacy, with Washington now seeking to restrain Israeli actions to preserve the agreement.
Israeli officials worry this shift could erode months of joint efforts to weaken Hezbollah and roll back what Ravid described as Iran’s influence, while exposing Israeli operations to increasing political pressure from Washington.
“More immediately, they’re also worried about pushback from D.C. each time they want to conduct a strike on Lebanese soil, as well as pressure from President (Donald) Trump to withdraw from southern Lebanon while the Hezbollah threat still exists,” Ravid wrote.
A New Mechanism, A New Balance
At the core of Israeli concern is the creation of a new “deconfliction cell” involving the United States, Iran, Lebanon and mediators, notably without direct Israeli participation.
“Israeli sources claim that new US-Iran agreements on Lebanon erode previous understandings reached between the Netanyahu government and the Biden administration in 2024, which were blessed by the incoming Trump administration,” the Israeli journalist wrote.
He drew a comparison between the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement and the current arrangement reached in Switzerland.
“Under the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement…Israel retained the right to act against both imminent threats and emerging threats posed by Hezbollah. Under the current conditions, Israel’s freedom of action appears to be limited to imminent threats only.”
Ravid noted that while the previous ceasefire-monitoring mechanism involved ‘Israel’, Lebanon, the US and France, this time ‘Israel’ is not a direct participant, while Iran is.
“Furthermore, the Biden-era monitoring mechanism was focused on coordination to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, while this one will focus on deconfliction between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu Concerned
Meanwhile, the Lebanon file has emerged as a central concern for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even overshadowing the nuclear track, according to the report.
“Bibi is hysterical about it,” the report cited one Israeli source, underscoring the political and security pressure surrounding the issue.
Behind the scenes, Netanyahu has attempted to influence the talks through close allies in Washington, while US officials defend the arrangement as stabilizing, according to Axios report.
The journalist, on the other hand, cited a joint statement on Monday by Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who stressed that Israeli forces will continue “to act decisively to neutralize threats to our soldiers and citizens, destroy terrorist infrastructure, and maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon.”
“Notably, he did not claim Israel had full freedom of operation in Lebanon,” the Israeli journalist commented on the joint statement by Netanyahu, Katz and Zamir.
He cited remarks by Trump, who reacted to Netanyahu’s statement: “I’m a problem solver, I get problems solved real fast — including with Bibi.”
Ravid then tackled the direct talks in Washington between the Zionist entity and Lebanese Government, mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team.
He cited, in this context, remarks by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Netanyahu’s closest allies in Congress, who told Axios that the new US-Iran understandings regarding Lebanon “undermine” the direct talks.
“To expect anyone to reach an agreement between Israel and Lebanon at the same time that Iran is demanding Lebanon be included in its own negotiations with the US is highly unrealistic,” Graham said.
Ravid concluded his report as saying: “The prospect of an Israel-Lebanon deal that actually leads to the disarming of Hezbollah appears to be a long way off.
Source: Axios (edited by Al-Manar)