Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, broke his three-month silence at a press conference on June 15, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by U.S. and Iranian officials to end their months long war.
This new agreement will discontinue the U.S. blockade of Iran and also reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. and Iran will meet on Friday, June 19, in Switzerland to sign this deal, Netanyahu considers the six-week US-Israeli campaign against Iran a success that “saved Israel from annihilation”.
In a tweet on the social media app X (formerly known as Twitter), President Trump commended the signing of the new deal: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” – President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote.
Donald Trump
According to a June 16 post by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu highlighted that Israel was shut out of the Washington-Iran negotiation process and that Israel does not yet know the details of this deal. Despite this, Israel maintains that its security interests have been fulfilled and its freedom to pursue military action remains uncompromised. He declared that, “With an agreement or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons—not today and not tomorrow. As long as I am prime minister of Israel, it will not happen.” He further stated that “this was his life’s mission.”
Defending the strategic outcome of the war, Netanyahu responded to critics by listing Israel’s achievements. He claimed the joint operations between the U.S. and Israel neutralized Iranian nuclear scientists, eliminated key terror leaders, demolished missile manufacturing hubs, and inflicted up to a trillion dollars’ worth of damage to Iran’s economy. This devastation, Netanyahu argued, created the “credible military threat” necessary to force Iran’s capital, Tehran, to the negotiating table. He further revealed that the intense campaign relied on a massive joint effort, with the U.S. and Israel flying a combined 14,000 air sorties that were split roughly half and half between the two allies.
A core issue that remains, is the status of southern Lebanon, where a distinct divide has emerged between diplomatic text and ground realities. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted the Swiss accord demands a total ceasefire, declaring that the continued presence of any Israeli forces in Lebanon violates the MOU. However, Jerusalem has pushed back forcefully against these terms. Israeli officials maintain that because they are not signatories to the text, the agreement does not restrict their security mandates.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made the administration’s independence clear, stating bluntly that “Trump’s agreement does not bind us.” Israeli defence leadership supported this stance, confirming plans to keep Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops stationed indefinitely within a 25-mile buffer zone in southern Lebanon to ensure the total neutralization of residual Hezbollah threats.
This unfolding diplomacy has placed a visible strain on the relationship between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump publicly aired on social media platform X his frustrations over recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, complaining that the continued bombing threw a “negative light” on his administration’s peace initiatives, while offering sharp critiques of Netanyahu’s tactical judgment.
Netanyahu dismissed suggestions of a rift between him and U.S. President Donald Trump, reframing the dynamic as a resilient partnership of equals. “We have a relationship of partners,” Netanyahu stated, downplaying the friction. “Many times, we agree; sometimes we don’t agree.” He drew a sharp contrast between this framework and the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, labeling the older treaty “horrible” because it lacked the severe military enforcement that Israel helped deliver over the last six weeks.
Domestically, the government faces intense criticism from political rivals. Opposition figures, including Naftali Bennett, have harshly criticized the administration, arguing that Israel’s exclusion from the Swiss talks constitutes a severe diplomatic snub that leaves the country vulnerable.
Nevertheless, the Israeli political and military establishment remains locked on active prevention. While international delegates prepare for a formal signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland this Friday to stabilize global oil markets and secure the Strait of Hormuz, Jerusalem is signaling that global economic treaties will not dictate its defensive borders. By firmly establishing its military presence in Lebanon and holding its red line on Iranian improvement, Israel enters the post-war diplomatic era determined to prove that its national sovereignty and survival rest securely in its own hands.