Israel Says It Will Not Leave Lebanon, Testing the US-Iran Understanding

As the United States and Iran moved toward a signed agreement, the Israeli government signaled it would not be constrained by it. The Russian outlet RBC reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed President Trump that Israel does not intend to withdraw its forces from Lebanon and does not regard itself as bound by the US-Iran understanding. RBC noted that Israeli forces struck a suburb of Beirut as reports of the deal circulated.

Israeli analysts expressed concern about the terms. Writing in Globes, Meir Ben Shabbat, a former head of Israel's National Security Council, argued that including Lebanon in the framework benefits Tehran, granting the Iranian government "legitimacy, survivability, hope and resources for reconstruction." He added that the deal strengthens rather than weakens Iran's control over allied armed groups.

The Israeli daily Ynet reported that the four objectives Netanyahu had set out only days earlier are largely absent from the memorandum of understanding. Those goals included removing Iran's enriched material, dismantling its nuclear infrastructure, and limiting its missiles and its support for allied armed groups. Iranian commentary cited by Ynet described the outcome differently, pointing to a 60-day arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz and an expectation that Tehran will gain from renewed revenue.

The differences in how each party describes the deal matter. Washington presents a completed peace, Israel reserves the right to keep fighting in Lebanon, and Tehran treats the text as a vindication. For markets that had begun to expect lasting calm, those conflicting accounts show that the framework's durability is far from settled.