American intelligence agencies have alerted the White House that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely take actions that jeopardize President Donald Trump’s pursuit of a permanent peace treaty with Iran, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing classified reports.
The intelligence assessment highlights expanding friction between the Trump administration and Netanyahu's government. The White House has openly cautioned Jerusalem against executing attacks in Lebanon that could implode the fragile diplomatic framework.
According to US officials cited by The Washington Post, the intelligence report concludes that with national elections looming this fall, Netanyahu’s political survival hinges on convincing voters he will neither pull out of Lebanon nor halt the escalation against Hezbollah.
The analysis outlines profound Israeli frustration with the Trump administration's preliminary text, which Jerusalem believes undermines the strategy of maintaining maximum pressure on Tehran and limits Israel's capacity for self-defense. Conversely, White House officials maintain the accord permits necessary retaliation and argue that Netanyahu's grievances are secondary to unlocking the Strait of Hormuz to head off a global economic meltdown. The intelligence findings warn that any ceasefire or retreat will be perceived domestically as a defeat for Netanyahu.
Responding to the assessment, a senior Israeli official asserted, “Israeli military activity in Lebanon is for the sole purpose of defending Israeli citizens from continuous attacks by Hezbollah."
The report came as Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire as of 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Earlier, the US informed Iran that Israel was not expected to escalate its strikes in Lebanon despite the deadly incident in southern Lebanon in which four Israeli soldiers were killed by Hezbollah fire.
Since the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect in April, 23 soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian employee have been killed in southern Lebanon.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)