An Iranian official who was part of the negotiating team told Yair Goldblatt that the US team was in constant contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump. The source said Lebanese businessman Antoine Sahyouni, a Christian opponent of Hezbollah close to the Trump administration, took on the Lebanon-Israel clause in the talks. According to the report, Sahyouni worked to 'empty' the first clause of the MOU calling for an immediate ceasefire with Hezbollah, promoting a US- and Israel-backed alternative track, and advised against accepting a ceasefire that would benefit Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Yair Goldblatt, a journalist covering security and the Middle East, published a report Tuesday evening citing an Iranian official who was present at the US-Iran talks in Islamabad. The official described the behind-the-scenes dynamics, including the involvement of Lebanese businessman Antoine Sahyouni.
According to the report, the US negotiating team was in constant contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump. Sahyouni, a Christian Lebanese businessman and opponent of Hezbollah, was described as a third party who took on the Lebanon-Israel clause. The Iranian source claimed Sahyouni worked to 'empty' the first clause of the MOU, which called for an immediate ceasefire with Hezbollah, and instead promoted an alternative track backed by the US and Israel. The source added that Sahyouni advised against accepting a ceasefire or withdrawal that would serve Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The report emerges amid ongoing diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran, including a reported memorandum of understanding that has been discussed in recent weeks. As The Zioneer has reported, Hezbollah officially endorsed the emerging framework on June 15, and the US later clarified that its interpretation of the agreement does not require a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon (June 30). The claims in this report are based on a single Iranian source and have not been independently verified.
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