Ben Gvir to PM: Bang on Trump's desk; Lebanon war must resume

Lapid takes aim at ‘disaster’ US-Iran deal, says Netanyahu failed to achieve victory

Opposition leader says it’s ‘absurd’ negotiations to end conflict did not include Israel, which must ‘maintain freedom of action’ regardless of agreement

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to achieve victory over Iran and Hezbollah ahead of a potential Iran-US deal, insisting that Israel must retain its freedom of action regardless of what the US decides to do.

Addressing reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Lapid called the agreement taking shape between Washington and Tehran a “disaster,” complaining that it does not deal with either the Iranian nuclear or ballistic missile threats.

“Based on the partial reports we have regarding the nuclear arrangements, we are going to miss the agreement that was canceled in 2018,” he said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal — signed by his predecessor Barack Obama — during his first term.

It is “absurd” that the deal was written without Israel at the table, Lapid continued, declaring that “time and again the Netanyahu government sets goals and fails to meet them.”

“The current situation is the result of a continuous failure of government. Benjamin Netanyahu is a man blessed with talents, but he has grown old and tired and is surrounded by the least suitable people to run a country,” he asserted — arguing that instead of the US and Israel toppling the Iranian regime, it only “grew stronger.”

Israel is a “sovereign state” and not an American protectorate and a prime minister not dependent on Trump for a pardon “should have been able to stand up to him and say, ‘Sir, we maintain our freedom of action, we are not committed to things that go against our security,'” Lapid said, referring to Trump’s efforts to pressure President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu in his ongoing criminal trial.

“I have no grievance against President Trump. President Trump does what he thinks is right for the United States, but the prime minister of Israel needs to do what is right for the State of Israel. That is not what is happening right now. He is completely subordinate to Trump, and he is bending us along with him,” Lapid said.

Trump reportedly has sought to assure Netanyahu that a final agreement with Iran will fully dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program.

However, according to multiple reports confirmed by Israeli officials, the initial deal will focus on extending an existing ceasefire for another 60 days and opening the choked Strait of Hormuz to vital shipping, with the key issue of Iran’s nuclear activities relegated to discussions during that period, and no requirement for Iran to export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. In addition, the plan is said to include a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, but does not include disarming the Iran-backed group.

The Israel Defense Forces has been preparing for the possibility that the deal would force it to rein in its war against Hezbollah, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday. A new round of US-brokered talks with Lebanon is due to be held in Washington in the coming days.

‘Our soldiers’ hands are simply tied’

Other opposition party leaders also harshly criticized the emerging deal on Monday, with Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman telling reporters that it was “only a matter of time” before Hezbollah drones hit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and that Israel “must achieve a decisive victory” against the Iran-backed terror group.

“Our soldiers’ hands are simply tied in Lebanon,” the hawkish former defense minister asserted, following Hezbollah drone strikes that killed an IDF fighter and hit a residential home in the northern city of Metula.

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz, another former defense minister, likewise asserted that Israel must take action to stem the threat, telling reporters that “the best defense against Hezbollah is offense. If explosive drones continue to crash in Israel, no plane should take off in Beirut.”

Turning to Iran, Gantz insisted that Israel “should end the campaign only after the destruction of [Tehran’s] uranium or its extraction, the cessation of production of long-range ballistic missiles and the cessation of funding for proxies” and that “at the very least, Israel must preserve for itself freedom of action in any agreement.”

‘Bang on Trump’s desk’

Far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet also demanded that he renew military operations in Lebanon in response to Hezbollah’s explosive drone attacks.

In a statement announcing his approval of a NIS 2 billion ($692.8 million) budget for “technological solutions to the drone threat,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for strikes on Beirut.

“A strategic threat is not met with defense alone; for every explosive drone, ten buildings in Beirut need to fall,” he declared.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Netanyahu must “inform” Trump that the war in Lebanon is being restarted.

“We must not normalize the reality of explosive drones. The time has come for the prime minister to bang on Trump’s desk and inform him that we are resuming the war in Lebanon,” Ben Gvir declared in a statement.

“We must cut off the electricity in Lebanon, conquer the Zahrani, and return to high-intensity warfare,” he added, referencing a river north of the Litani River, indicating a wish to expand the area currently controlled by the IDF.

Expanding on that message at a press conference later in the day, Ben Gvir insisted that Israel inform the residents of southern Lebanon that they “will not return home until we have quiet.”

Nava Freiberg contributed to this report.