Ministers of the Netanyahu Cabinet criticize the agreement between the US and Iran to end the war, stating that Israel is not obligated to adhere to the terms of the agreement. The opposition accuses the Israeli Prime Minister of squandering all that the army has gained.
Defense Minister Israel Katz promised on Monday that the Israeli army will remain in southern Lebanon and warned that if Iran attacks, it will be hit „with full force,” pledging that Israel will resist any pressure after the US and Iran agreed on a deal to end the war, which reportedly includes a commitment to end hostilities in Lebanon, according to Times of Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no immediate comment on the agreement, but members of the far-right factions of his coalition stated that Israel will not be bound by the terms of the agreement, while opposition members accused the Prime Minister of disappointing the citizens of Israel and betraying the armed forces.
American and Iranian officials stated on Monday morning that they have agreed on a framework for a peace agreement, which is expected to lift the American blockade on Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and engage in 60 days of discussions regarding Tehran's nuclear program. According to Iranian and Pakistani sources, the agreement also includes a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group supported by Iran.
Although it joined the war alongside the US, Israel was not involved in the negotiations regarding the agreement, which seems to not meet the war objectives set by the US and Israel, including dismantling Iran's nuclear program, depleting its stockpile of ballistic missiles, ceasing support for terrorist organizations, and creating conditions for the regime's downfall, as reported by the cited publication.
Israel does not withdraw from Lebanon
Israeli military actions in Lebanon must cease entirely, and the US bears responsibility for implementing the framework agreement to end the war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Turkish, Iraqi, and Egyptian counterparts in separate calls on Monday, according to his Telegram account.
However, Katz insisted that "despite all existing pressures and those that will arise," Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, where it fights against the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that states the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely to protect the border and Israeli communities there from jihadist elements," Katz stated in a release.
He said the security zones will be "cleared of residents, and all terrorist infrastructure, above and below ground, including homes in villages along the contact line that have served as terrorist outposts, will be destroyed."
"We will not compromise on Israel's security interests and the protection of our citizens, and we will not withdraw from the security zones," Katz warned, stating, "If Iran attacks Israel due to events in Lebanon, we will hit it with full force."
The product of Israeli leadership's failure
The news of the agreement was met with furious reactions in Israel on Monday morning.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir harshly criticized the agreement. "Israel is not subservient to the United States. We are an independent and sovereign country," he said. "We are not partners in this agreement, which does not safeguard our security. We should not withdraw from any territory [in Lebanon] captured by our fighters."
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the agreement is "bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period."
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the Together alliance and is considered the primary candidate to replace Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, said that the Government failed to translate Israel's military achievements into lasting security gains.
Bennett emphasizes that the agreement is not a stroke of luck but the product of Israeli leadership's failure and asserts that the Government has dragged Israel into wars of "attrition" and is "unable to achieve a decisive victory."
Bennett stated that instead, he has "a strategic plan to bring about the collapse of the Iranian regime" and dismantle its nuclear program through a "combination of diplomatic, intelligence, economic, technological, and military means."
A single mission for Mossad
Avigdor Liberman, from the Yisrael Beytenu party with an aggressive orientation, argued that if the imminent agreement had been signed during the previous Bennett-Lapid government, Netanyahu "would have accused us of treason."
Accusing Netanyahu of leading Israel to a "diplomatic disaster much worse than Obama's agreement" with Tehran in 2015, Liberman told reporters that Israel "must inform the US that we do not accept any link, any connection, between the Iranian camp and the Lebanese camp."
Jerusalem must be prepared to retaliate against Hezbollah and Iranian attacks, he insisted, stating that "for every Iranian launch at Israel, we should respond by destroying Kharg Island and the port of Bandar Abbas."
Liberman also called for the creation of an Israeli missile force and stressed that "from now on, Mossad must focus on a single mission - toppling the ayatollah regime."
"Netanyahu is good for Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah"
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and another rival of Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, noted that "the Prime Minister refuses to look the public in the eye and answer uncomfortable questions honestly and truthfully. Once again, Israeli citizens learn about the agreement through reports from foreign leaders."
Eisenkot stated that the agreement is "far from Israel's interests."
Leader of the left-wing Democratic Party, Yair Golan, stated that the agreement is detrimental to Israel and nullifies all the IDF's military achievements.
Golan, former IDF deputy chief, called the agreement the "culmination of many years of failures," with Netanyahu, "the man who promised 'total victory,'" potentially ending his tenure "with Israel's enemies stronger, Israel weaker, and the discouragement built with the blood of our fighters eroding before our eyes."
The best thing that happened to Iran
President of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz, former Defense Minister and IDF chief, stated that the agreement was a "strategic failure" and that it is "forbidden to accept the restriction of Israel's freedom of action in Lebanon or a withdrawal that endangers residents in the north."
Yesh Atid deputy Ram Ben Barak stated that the agreement was "the best thing that happened to Iran in a generation," while Hadash-Ta'al deputy Ahmad Tibi noted that "Trump's greatest achievement is opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war began!"
Trump warned Netanyahu to calm down
The agreement with Iran, set to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, will officially end the war launched at the end of February by the US and Israel against the Iranian regime, which later expanded across the Middle East.
The announcement of the agreement came after an escalation of regional tensions that raised fears of renewed Iranian attacks on Israel. On Sunday, Israel fired upon Beirut in response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. This, in turn, raised concerns that Iran would retaliate, as it did last week after a previous Israeli attack on Beirut.
Trump criticized the Israeli attack on Beirut while negotiations with Iran were in their final stages, and told Axios that Netanyahu "has no judgment."
After the announcement of the agreement, he criticized Netanyahu in The New York Times, stating that Israel should be grateful to the United States.
"He's a very tough guy," Trump told The Times about Netanyahu, "and to be honest with you, he should be very grateful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn't be around in two hours."
T.D.