US President Donald Trump’s push for a peace agreement with Iran has exposed growing differences with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insists Israel’s campaign against Iran and its regional proxies is “not over” even as Washington pushes for a regional settlement.
Here’s why the deal poses a problem for Netanyahu:
Continued military operations despite truce demands
The Israeli military has continued its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon even after Trump’s insistence that Tel Aviv and other players in the region “must tone down” amid the truce deal being brokered to cease violence in the region.
Netanyahu highlights major military gains against Iran
Speaking at a press briefing in Jerusalem on Tuesday, for the first time since Washington and Tehran announced the preliminary truce, Netanyahu said the campaign launched against Iran was one of the most consequential military operations in Israeli history.
“We neutralised their nuclear scientists, decapitated the leaders of the terror regime, crushed the nuclear facilities, destroyed missiles, and destroyed the overwhelming majority of factories producing missiles. We saved the State of Israel from annihilation,” Netanyahu told reporters.
Upcoming elections and shrinking political capital
With the general election around the corner in Israel, which needs to be held before the end of October 2026, PM Netanyahu has been surrounded by limited political options, and the leader also faces a corruption trial in Tel Aviv. The BBC reported.
Opposition criticises Netanyahu’s dilemma in the Knesset
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid gave a statement in the Knesset on Monday regarding Netanyahu’s options as “either a direct and destructive confrontation with our greatest ally, or a submissive surrender of Israeli interests”.
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Coalition demands and far-right backlash over ceasefire terms
However, Netanyahu’s own Likud party members and far-right cabinet ministers in the government’s coalition have made comments that have reportedly put pressure on the prime minister, especially the demand that Tehran has reiterated that the ceasefire should include “military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in a post on social media, wrote, “Trump’s agreement does not bind us. We are not parties to this agreement, which does not ensure our security.”
