Israel reacts to Trump-Iran deal with warnings IDF won’t leave Lebanon

TEL AVIV, Israel: Reactions in Israel to the Memorandum of Understanding reached by President Donald Trump and Iran on Sunday have been a mix of wait-and-see details and outright criticism.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed on Sunday that Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war after months of negotiations. The council said in a statement that all military operations on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, would be halted “immediately and permanently”.

Negotiations on a comprehensive final agreement will reportedly begin only after both parties fulfill their obligations under the framework and are expected to last up to 60 days.

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While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment, Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday refrained from directly criticizing the agreement but said the IDF would not withdraw from southern Lebanon and warned that if Iran attacks Israel in response to the fight against Hezbollah, “we will hit it with full force.”

“The IDF will remain in security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza without any time limit to protect the border and Israeli communities against jihadist elements.” he said.

Katz called the security zones “one of the IDF’s greatest achievements” in the multi-front war since the October 7, 2023 massacre led by Hamas, adding that Israel is therefore against the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon despite all future pressure.

Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed those positions to U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior American officials, including U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“We will not compromise Israel’s security interests and the protection of our citizens,” he said.

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President Donald Trump monitors US military operations in Iran following Israel’s attack on Tehran on February 28, 2026. (@WhiteHouse/X)

Yossi Kuperwasser, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and former chief of the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Directorate’s research division, told Fox News Digital that details of the deal are still sketchy.

“There was a debate within the Iranian leadership about whether to accept the agreement,” he said. “The information we’re hearing seems to be coming from those who oppose it. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong, but it’s causing great concern in Israel. If this is the deal, it’s a disaster. If you listen to President Trump, the deal is probably something different.”

Kuperwasser defined a “good deal” as Iran giving up all components of its nuclear program, allowing access to enriched uranium and establishing a robust surveillance system that could reach anywhere at any time, including military facilities likely to be used for atomic purposes. He added that such an agreement should also ban the production of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli air strike targeting an area in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 10-11, 2026. (Fadel itani/AFP via Getty Images)

“The fate of Lebanon is a matter to be discussed between Washington, Jerusalem and Beirut,” Kuperwasser said. he said. “According to the Lebanese government, Iran is not and should not be a party to these talks. If Lebanon is to be part of an agreement with Iran, this means that Tehran has a say in Lebanese affairs.”

Kuperwasser stated that Israel has been living under the shadow of Iran’s nuclear program since 1998, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a unique position to evaluate the issue, given his decades of involvement. He said it is not yet clear whether Netanyahu is satisfied with the result or what his final assessment will be.

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Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who is now opposition leader, told Fox News Digital about his comments on X.

“The resulting agreement achieves none of Israel’s war objectives. The regime survives, its missile program exists, and Iran can rebuild its nuclear program. This is a complete failure by Netanyahu, and in the process turns us into a client state taking orders regarding its national security,” he wrote.

A driver passes a banner with photos of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei along a street in Tehran on April 15, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)

On March 19, Prime Minister Netanyahu outlined three war objectives for the joint US-Israeli operation against Iran: “One is to eliminate the nuclear threat. Second, to eliminate the ballistic missile threat and eliminate both threats before they sink deep underground and become immune to air strikes. Third, this means creating the conditions for the Iranian people to grasp their freedom, to control their destiny.”

Iran lecturer at Reichman University, Dr. Meir Javedanfar told Fox News Digital that Israel’s most pressing concern about the deal is the clause on Lebanon.

“There are serious concerns that this could tie Israel’s hands,” he said. “An additional concern is that Hezbollah may use this clause to regroup and strengthen its armed forces and positions along the Israeli border.”

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Pointing to the fate of Iran’s 60 percent enriched uranium stockpile and atomic infrastructure, Javedanfar said it was too early to assess whether the deal would put Israel in a much stronger position than the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal.

“Will Iran be allowed to continue enriching uranium on its territory? If yes, what percentage? How will the international community monitor Iran’s nuclear program? What kind of inspection program will it have? How intrusive will it be?” he added.

The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers found and destroyed a Hezbollah underground command center in southern Lebanon, which had infrastructure about 8 meters underground. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)

Israel’s controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir insisted on Monday that the Memorandum of Understanding is not binding on the Jewish state. “Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation,” he tweeted, adding that Jerusalem’s duty is to its citizens, its soldiers and the Jewish people.”

He stated, “My position is clear: we are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way,” he said, adding that while Israelis “love” the United States and “are grateful” to Trump, “the State of Israel is not a banana republic.”

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“Although Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed appreciation for President Trump’s determination that the final agreement at the end of the negotiations would include the removal of enriched material, dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limiting missile production, and halting Iran’s support for terrorist proxies in the region,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday.

President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on December 29, 2025, to discuss Iran tensions and the Gaza peace plan. (Israeli Government Press Office)

The statement quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. President Trump and I are in complete agreement on this issue. I have been at the forefront of the international fight against Iran’s nuclear program for over 30 years. Without this fight, Iran would long ago have the atomic bombs that would destroy Israel. Iran is working to destroy the Jewish state, and I am dedicating my life to preventing them from doing so. As long as ‘I am the Prime Minister of Israel, it will not happen.’

Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.