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Intel warns of sabotage
U.S. intelligence agencies warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take steps that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to reach a lasting peace deal with Iran, as Netanyahu faces intense political pressure to continue waging Israel’s war in Lebanon.
The Washington Post report cited current and former U.S. officials saying the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding demands a “permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” while Israel appears determined to continue military operations against Hezbollah.
The Washington Post also quoted an unnamed U.S. official saying, “Continuing to occupy part of Lebanon is a recipe for disaster,” and warned that “Without a full Israeli withdrawal, the likelihood of resumed hostilities between the [Israeli military] and Hezbollah is all but certain.”
The dispute has also fed into the diplomacy timeline, with the U.S. and Iran cancelling a meeting planned for Friday in Switzerland to begin negotiating a final deal after signing a memorandum of understanding earlier in the week to end military hostilities.
Trump and Netanyahu clash
President Donald Trump told Axios in an interview published Friday that his relationship with Netanyahu is “good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane,” and Trump added, “They have a lot of respect for me, and so they do as I say.”
Trump’s comments came as Israel launched a wave of attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon overnight Thursday, killing at least 47 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
In a separate account, CBS News described Trump’s call with Netanyahu after Israeli jets struck Lebanon's capital Beirut, quoting Trump asking, “What the f*** are you doing?” and “Why did Bibi have to do a f*****g attack?”
CBS News also quoted Trump’s post on Truth Social saying, “This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” as the White House stage was set for Trump to mark his 80th birthday and announce a deal with Iran to extend a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
What’s at stake next
The stakes described by multiple outlets center on whether Israel will comply with the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding’s requirement for a “permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and whether continued operations in Lebanon will derail the broader arrangement.
Al Jazeera reported that the MoU calls for the “permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”, but it said “the Israelis are not stopping their attacks in the country,” while Trump wrote that “The United States is committed to PEACE” and expected “a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”
Al Jazeera also quoted Trita Parsi saying Tehran is “not joking” about its commitment to a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and it said Lebanon poses the “greatest test” for the ceasefire deal through Ryan Costello of the National Iranian American Council.
In parallel, The New Republic framed the warning as a “recipe for disaster” if Israel does not withdraw, and it said an unnamed U.S. official warned that “Without a full Israeli withdrawal, the likelihood of resumed hostilities between the [Israeli military] and Hezbollah is all but certain.”
