Israelis Lash Out At Netanyahu Over U.S.-Iran Deal, Lebanon Strikes Threaten Agreement

Israelis across the political spectrum reacted angrily Monday to news of an initial deal between the U.S. and Iran, directing their fury at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu said at a news conference Monday that "with an agreement, without an agreement," he would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which Tehran has long maintained it isn't trying to do.

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The backlash included criticism from former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who told Israel's public broadcaster Monday, "Iran emerged stronger; Israel emerged weaker. That is Netanyahu's strategic responsibility. He failed."

The deal also raised immediate questions about Lebanon, where Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to retain troops in southern Lebanon even as negotiations progressed and Trump grew furious over Israel's strikes in Beirut.

Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Hezbollah could increase pressure on Netanyahu, warning, "It's going to be very hard to resist that."

While the U.S. and Iran said they had reached an agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the pact would be signed during an official ceremony on June 19 in Switzerland.

Sharif said the deal included "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," and Trump wrote that he was ending the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

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Iran's deputy foreign minister later confirmed the text of an agreement had been finalized and would be signed Friday, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump Israel won't withdraw from Lebanon and doesn't consider itself obligated to go along with the Lebanon-related parts of the U.S. deal.

EU chief Antonio Costa welcomed the deal to end "costly war" and said the bloc is ready to contribute to a strategy for "lasting peace," linking it to "the full restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."

In parallel, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the agreement "does not bind us," adding, "Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!"

The preliminary framework described by U.S. and Iranian officials would extend a ceasefire for a 60-day negotiation period, during which contentious issues such as the future of Iran's nuclear programme were due to be decided.

“China welcomed on Monday an agreement announced by the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war, commending Pakistan for its mediation efforts”

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A U.S. official said the Strait of Hormuz would be open toll free for 60 days under the pact, while another U.S. official said Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon was not a condition of the deal and that Israel would have the right to defend itself against attacks by Hezbollah.

Trump said the deal was "all signed" and that "the strait is already partially opened," and he told reporters the text of the memorandum would be released "Probably pretty soon" after Friday.

The immediate fate of the pact could hinge on Lebanon, where fighting had tamped down but had not ceased entirely, and an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit, killing the driver, according to Lebanese state media.

In Iran, the Supreme National Security Council confirmed that "all military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would cease "immediately and permanently," while the naval blockade would be lifted immediately according to the statement translated by MS NOW, with negotiations toward a final agreement deferred until Washington fulfilled its commitments under the memorandum of understanding first.