A tentative U.S.-Iran deal to end a months-long war faces collapse over a key condition: Iran insists the agreement requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, a demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected. The dispute has sparked a political firestorm in Israel and drawn public criticism of Netanyahu from U.S. President Donald Trump, who called his Israeli counterpart "a very difficult guy." The deal is set to be signed Friday in Switzerland.
U.S.-Iran deal framework
- ▪The deal initiates a 60-day period of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and the potential lifting of sanctions
- ▪The agreement reportedly provides for the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports
- ▪The U.S. and Iran have agreed on a framework to end a months-long war
- ▪Israel was not involved in the negotiations over the deal, which was brokered by Pakistan and Qatar
- ▪A signing ceremony for the deal is scheduled for Friday at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland
Israeli military presence in Lebanon
- ▪A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, has stated the deal does not call for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon
- ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will remain in "security zones" in Lebanon for "as long as necessary."
- ▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated the deal requires Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon
- ▪Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that the Israel Defense Forces would not withdraw from security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza
Israeli political reactions to deal
- ▪Former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman described the deal as a "catastrophe from Israel's perspective."
- ▪Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition relies on the support of far-right members, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
- ▪Far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich said Israel would not be bound by the agreement
- ▪Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the deal an "absolute failure" of Israeli foreign and security policy
Trump criticism of Netanyahu
- ▪Trump said Netanyahu should be "very thankful" for the deal, arguing that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, "Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours."
- ▪Trump stated he was "not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah."
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a very difficult guy."
Regional military strikes
- ▪The Israeli airstrikes on Beirut were in retaliation for Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel earlier the same day
- ▪Iran threatened to strike Israel on Sunday, June 14, 2026, after Israeli airstrikes on a suburb of Beirut
- ▪The war began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran
- ▪Israeli strikes in Lebanon during the conflict have killed nearly 4,000 people and displaced over 1 million
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