A senior Israeli cabinet minister told Channel 12 that Israel considers Iran to be President Trump's matter and he has the right to pursue an agreement, but insists that Lebanon is Israel's red line and must not be subject to the 'Iranian equation' — even if that means a severe confrontation with the United States. The statement underscores the growing gap between Jerusalem and Washington over the Iran deal's implications for Israel's northern front.
A senior Israeli cabinet minister drew a sharp distinction between the Iran nuclear file and the Lebanon front in remarks to Channel 12 this evening, saying Jerusalem views the former as President Trump's prerogative but the latter as an uncompromisable Israeli security interest. 'As far as we are concerned, Iran is Trump's issue and he has the right to pursue an agreement,' the minister said, 'but Lebanon is ours — we must not agree to the Iranian equation, even at the cost of a severe confrontation with the U.S.'
The remarks follow a series of Israeli statements pushing back against any US-Iran framework that would constrain Israeli freedom of action in Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported on June 12, a senior Israeli official told Saudi channel Al-Hadath that Israel requested Washington not to restrict its military operations in Lebanon, calling the emerging agreement 'not the end of the game.' Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on June 8 that 'the equation Iran and Hezbollah tried to impose on us is unacceptable.'
The minister's choice of language — singling out the 'Iranian equation' — appears to refer to Iran's strategy of linking the Lebanon front to the broader nuclear negotiations, a linkage a senior official told The Zioneer has already failed ('Iran failed to link the fronts,' June 12). The willingness to risk a direct confrontation with Washington on this issue signals that Israel's security establishment sees the Lebanon front as a distinct and immediate threat that cannot be traded away in a diplomatic deal.
- DevelopingSenior US official: Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon not a condition for Iran deal
- DevelopingSenior Israeli official: 'Our position is war — Iran must pay a heavy price'
- StrongSenior Israeli official: Lebanon line holds as Iran fails to link fronts
- DevelopingSenior Israeli official to Al-Hadath: US-Iran deal 'not end of game', asked to preserve military freedom in Lebanon
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